Voyager's Record
(2018)
author(s): Paulina Brelińska
published in: Research Catalogue
Point of departure.
The exhibition "The Voyager's Record" refers to traveling as such a form of mobility, which results from the
internal need to see inaccessible, undiscovered, lost and mysterious places. Its title refers to the name of two
gold-plated disks - The Voyager Golden Record - which was placed in the 1970s on board of spacecraft
launched as part of the Voyager program. There were some specific recordings and photographs on these disks
that were supposed to show the life cycle of the human species on Earth to the extraterrestrial viewers. The
exhibition showing the latest works created by young artists figuratively refers to the untamed dreams of seeing
unknown lands and what is more the cosmos. Artists’ projects pay attention to the images and elements of
nature that interest them during their “expeditions” (expedition is translated as “mobility organized for a specific
purpose”). Such concept situates the artist in the position of a researcher/explorer who archives/documents
reality and nature for a specific purpose. These objects are deprived of the features of the “artifact” (translated as
“incorrect element of the scientific research result”). On the contrary, they become a specific scientific record
depicting life on Earth.
During the nineteenth century, when the ideological trend called romanticism was developing, the author of the
book “COSMOS. Alexander Humboldt's physical description of the world” noticed that nature is a constant
object of the discoverer's fascination. When observing the works of contemporary artists, the aforementioned
glorification of nature seems to be still super important. Humboldt wrote: "Children's joy at the sight of the
particular figures of the countries and the closed seas, as geographical cards show us; the desire to see the
constellations of the southern sky that are not on our firmament; images of palm and Lebanon cedars in the holy
scriptures; they are all things as an example cited, and which are capable of awakening in the young soul
unreasonable desire to see distant lands.”
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The exhibition is a story about spiritual travels, as well as about feelings that accompany the search for one's
own nature. Staying in a state of suspension, properly distant from reality, very credible memorabilia arise -
telling a lot about the Earth itself. However, it is not so much its scientific portrait that is important but the
presentation of our planet from the perspective of the internal experiences of its inhabitants.
Paulina Brelińska
ANYWHERE ELSE BUT ME, art and introspection
(2018)
author(s): Antonio Olaio
published in: Research Catalogue
Having Duchamp's epitaph as a starting point, the exposition “Nowhere else but me (art and introspection)” deals with some of the most constant aspects of my research as an artist, through series of paintings, videos, songs, where the relationship between art and self-awareness is more evident and plays a central role in their the conceptual process and in their conceptual scope. But here, instead of emphasizing a unique subjectivity, we realise that an artist’s subjectivity might be a place, a place anywhere. A public space, potencially ubiquitous, as both mind and images might be.
La Prospettiva is sucking reality
(2018)
author(s): Antonio Olaio
published in: Research Catalogue
Visual an written essay exploring the conceptual scope of "La Prospettiva is sucking reality", a series of paintings, song and video I made in 2010.
It’s by following the idea that art is a construction of starting points, stimuli to mind, I reflect on my own work as an artist, or where my artistic work plays a central role on my seek for the understanding of the mechanisms of art and mind. Here exploring the conceptual possibilities raised by evoking "La Prospettiva", understanding the aesthetical experience as the place where image and reality become the same.
Urban fishing
(2018)
author(s): Anna Kholina
published in: Research Catalogue
This exhibition displays five projects inspired by the Kokemäenjoki river in Pori and the phenomena of urban fishing. They were created during the “Situated Urban” course at Aalto ARTS, while actively exploring the river and reflecting about the stories around it. Each project looks at the river and fishing from different angles, merging physical, personal and social dimensions via artistic approaches.
Artists:
Anastasia Artemeva
Anna Kholina
Charli Clark
Petra Martinez
Jaakko Leeve
Martin Binder
Curators:
Taina Rajanti
Annette Maechtel