GALLERY KATARIINA | Mirage by Suvi Härkönen 5–21 August 2022

Image: Deco (2022), Suvi Härkönen

Gallery Katariina presents the exhibition Mirage by Suvi Härkönen 5–21 August 2022.  

Welcome to the opening of the exhibition on Thursday 4th August from 5pm to 7pm!    

We follow the current guidelines by Regional State Administrative Agencies to ensure a safe exhibition visit. 

Suvi Härkönen: Mirage   “The title of the exhibition, Mirage, refers to a reflecting image that can be encountered for example in the desert or out on the sea. I use the term metaphorically: as a way of trying to grasp something that seems to be right within the reach but flees when approached, shifts its shape over and over again to stay forever unreachable. The abstracted images in my sculptures resemble frozen moments paused in time, scenes ready to shift as the viewing angle changes. They seem to seek something, not wanting to stay within the limits I've given them. They lead the gaze beyond themselves, perhaps to a different time, perhaps to a place that no longer exists or to one that is just being formed.   I'm influenced by nature, art history, architecture and the worlds of cinema and stage arts. Within those I perceive interesting repetitions which inspire me to form actual sculptural elements in my own work. My sculptures are abstract relief-like pieces in which I utilize textiles, rubber and wood. They take place within a triangle formed by sculpture, contemporary textile art and traditional craftsmanship, and continue the diverse tradition of using textile materials within the field of sculpture.   Previously I've focused mainly on large-scale installation pieces. During the past few years, I've shifted the focus towards textile sculpture. Regardless of technique, my production is united by the interest in the themes such as the forming of an artwork and spectatorship, and the ways of experiencing the artwork. I consider my pieces as kinds of portals and liminal spaces. These sculptural elements or environments that refer to transition, anticipation or the idea of change, form a world of their own which I invite the viewer to submerge themself into.”     Suvi Härkönen is a sculptor and an installation artist. She has a BA in Fine Arts from Lahti Institute of Design and Fine Arts and an MA in Visual Culture from Aalto University. She has exhibited extensively in Finland, at Photographic Gallery Hippolyte (2017), GalleriaKONE (2015), Porvoo Art Hall (2018), Gallery Uusi Kipinä (2021) and Gallery Huuto (2020) among others and also at Galleri Konstepidemin in Gothenburg, Sweden (2014). Härkönen lives and works in Porvoo, Finland and is a member of the Association of Finnish Sculptors.