HAA GALLERY | Jostain kotoisin (From somewhere) group (Raija Marttinen, Susanna Pälviä, Hanna Räty, Marja-Riitta Siimala & Hanna Vahvaselkä): Passage 11 12 January – 5 February, 2023

HAA Gallery presents the exhibition “Passage 11” by Jostain kotoisin (From somewhere) group 12 January – 5 February, 2023.

Welcome to the exhibition opening on Wednesday, January 11th 5–7 pm!

Hanna Vahvaselkä: Joki, detail (left), Marja-Riitta Siimala: Syyllisyydentiet (upper middle), Susanna Pälviä: Aika, pesäkolot (lower middle), Raija Marttinen: Musta kimppu (upper right) & Hanna Räty: Tapetti (lower right)   Jostain kotoisin (From somewhere) group (Raija Marttinen, Susanna Pälviä, Hanna Räty, Marja-Riitta Siimala, Hanna Vahvaselkä): Passage 11 

“Coming from somewhere. Here now. Soon continuing our journey separate paths each.” 

  Jostain kotoisin group has arranged exhibitions since year 2008, mainly on places where one of group members has lived. Their journey together started from Lahti, continuing through Porvoo, Joensuu, Varkaus, Juva, Savonlinna, Oulu, Mikkeli, Lappeenranta to the latest Passage in Kotka.    Artist's work is often lonesome toil at the studio. In each Passage bringing the group's work together is like chatter, exchange of thoughts with fellow travellers. At its best it can be a sudden crystallization of ideas or a total new scenery opening from the curve of the road.  Passage makes visible what the group carry with them from places, events, or encounters. It could be quick flashes from the latest part of the road or something travelling with them longer, something in constant process of change... This makes the group's pieces travel pictures of sorts, some more tangible and some rather suggestive.    Materials and ways of working vary, from metal to wood, plaster, wax, or photography. There may be movement, light or sound included as well. Exhibitions are built in each new location on the terms of the space.    Raija Marttinen  "Painting starts with a stain. The core of my work is in the intertwining pleasure of repetition and chance. I´m looking for sensitization to the happening of painting, a deeper understanding of the gesture of painting.  Time and memory, remembering and forgetting and the layered nature of time and place are permanent themes in my work.  It's about looking and seeing. I am thinking about which factors and events have influenced my own way of looking; what is the basis of my visual memory."    Susanna Pälviä  "My works are constructed using materials such as wood, wax, plaster, pigments, and wax. Natural, found and recycled materials are in use as well.  Recent subject matter consists out of manifestations of time in nature, fragility of life and marks we leave behind. How do we treat other creatures and our environment? Can marks we make be mended, healed or even patched?"    Hanna Räty  "Kuvitteellinen mummola is a nest and a safe haven in a dislocated world. The artworks of the series draw inspiration from personal and borrowed memories, everyday items and traces of life. The ensemble is an attempt to reach a common memory.  I work mainly by painting and drawing. My artworks also build spatial entities. The handprint and the moment of painting itself is important."    Marja-Riitta Siimala 

"I ponder on existence in different material forms and routes. Time is visible in my work as traces of life and patina, also as a journey that I have lived and traveled. In my works, there is often a character who walks and thinks about the world and the traveled environment. She/he also thinks about the increasing use of plastic as a packaging material and how plastic ends up in the environment, for example eventually in water.

HAA Gallery has as its route work Aikasiirtymä, which is a memory, a flashback from the days of studying at the art school. On display is another place-related work from Suomenlinna, especially from the shipyard area. The work is called Siirtymä. The exhibition also includes the installation Syyllisyydentiet."

  Hanna Vahvaselkä  "When I was a child, I lived on Jokikatu, on the edge of the city forest, next to a small river. In my dreams, I often stand by that river and watch how it flows in the wrong direction, from right to left, towards its starting point. In my new works, I have gone towards the origins of my wooden works. In addition to engraving and scratching the surface, I have ended up carving and peeling wood. The works are created from recycled and wasted material."     The exhibition has been supported by Arts Promotion Centre Finland and the South Savo Regional Fund (the Finnish Cultural Foundation).       NOTE! On Sunday, February 5th, 2023, at 1–2 pm, a guided tour with audio description for visually impaired visitors will be organised at the HAA Gallery. The artists of the Jostain kotoisin group can be met on the same day at 2–3 pm at the gallery.