HAA Gallery presents The Last Pages by Liisa Ahlfors 6–29 April, 2023.
Welcome to the exhibition opening on Wednesday, 5 April 5–7 pm!
Image: Liisa Ahlfors
Liisa Ahlfors: The Last Pages
The Last Pages is a nine-part installation consisting of quotes from works of fiction, from the last pages of literature in which a character dies. The quotes are mirrored and laser cut on plywood. In order to read them, the viewer must participate by using the papers and graphite placed onto the table next to the quotations. By rubbing graphite on the paper where the text lie underneath, the text will become visible. Due to the transparency of the parchment paper used in the work, the text is readable on the other side of the paper. Participants can sign and take the print they make from the exhibition.
All nine quotations deal with the interweaving relationship of creation and death. The characters in the quotes have the ability to create, but in one way or another lose it or wreak havoc with it. By encouraging the viewer’s participation, Ahlfors reflects on what is an author, as well as the limitations of authorship and art as a whole. On the other hand, the narrative continuum created from the quotations suggests a sense of connection to both the author himself and other actors stemming from the restoration of the deprived authorship. Thus, artistic creation would be an essential part of the continuum of life.
Ahlfors is supported by Alfred Kordelin Foundation, Arts Promotion Centre Finland / Arts Council of Pirkanmaa as well as VISEK.