Janna Syvänoja: Ever Lasting Moment

“Memorable, eternal, recurring, enduring. Or when time stands still. 

On the orbit of life, in the grace of the same moment, stone, flower, wing, cloud, drop and light meet.” 

 

Nature, its materials and processes are an inexhaustible source of joy and inspiration for Janna Syvänoja. The constant change taking place in nature – growth, blossoming, withering and decay, the changing seasons, weather, shifts in light and their effects – continually offer new reasons to wonder.

 

Syvänoja collects materials from nature, studies natural forms and seeks to understand the character and properties of different materials. Her collections grow in storage, while unique moments are captured in photographs. In time, these materials and moments find their way into sculptures, collages, paintings, jewellery and installations. 

“My work begins by capturing a moment. It takes an eternity to complete a work. 

Flower petals remain in bloom for only a moment. In an instant, their structure begins to fall apart and their colour changes. If I collect these moments and bring them together as a surface or a form, I can imagine stopping time. At least I can preserve that moment of physical time within the material. Otherwise, it would already have dissolved into energy and returned to the cycle of life.” 

– Janna Syvänoja 

Janna Syvänoja (b. 1960) graduated from the University of Art and Design Helsinki in 1993. Her work has been presented in more than 20 solo exhibitions and over 300 group exhibitions in Finland and abroad. 

Syvänoja has received the Prince Eugen Medal, the Torsten and Wanja Söderberg Prize and the Young Finland Award from the Ministry of Education. Her works are held in more than forty museum and foundation collections around the world. 

She has also created numerous public artworks, including works for Porolahti Comprehensive School, the Ministry of Education, Vaasa Central Hospital and Hyvinkää Hospital. 

Free entrance