Pia Männikkö: Soft Threat
Uninhabitable and dangerous environments – such as glaciers, oceanic trenches and volcanic areas – are fascinating natural sites that attract adventurous modern people. Paradoxically, the vivid warning colors of poisonous plants and animals also entice people to explore them. I myself have watched, for example, an Icelandic man’s drone live streams on YouTube, showing the ongoing volcanic eruptions in Grindavík. Through his camera, I have virtually sat in the back seat of his car, traveling through landscapes shaped by lava flows.
In scorching deserts, steaming acid lakes and extreme weather phenomena, the earth’s energy and force are clearly visible and tangible. As a result of insidious climate change, more and more areas are at risk of becoming uninhabitable. Climate change intensifies weather phenomena and volcanic activity, among other things, as glaciers melt in volcanic areas, triggering fascinating new eruptions and tornadoes to watch.
In my textile works, the untamed forces of nature are contrasted with soft materials and handicraft that can be controlled by one person. Most of the pieces in the exhibition were created using wet felting, which I have been studying since last February. Felt is the oldest known textile. Felting is older than weaving, knitting and other textile production methods. Archeological evidence suggests that the origins of felting date back to the Stone Age, around 6500 BCE, possibly even earlier. By using wool fibers, moisture and friction, one can create a warm, durable, and naturally fire-resistant sculptable material. Today, felting is done in the same way as thousands of years ago. The ancient technique remains the most effective.
Thank you to the Finnish Cultural Foundation.
About the artist:
Pia Männikkö is a Helsinki-based sculptor originally from Kuusamo. Her works are often inspired by natural and physical phenomena and their varying scales. She is also fascinated by the movement and dimensions of the human body. Männikkö has studied sculpture and environmental art at the Glasgow School of Art and the Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki. Since 2004, her sculptures, installations, videos, photographs, and drawings have been on display at over 80 exhibitions and art events in Finland and abroad, including Kiasma in Helsinki, Nordic Contemporary in Paris, and the Armory Gallery in Sydney. Männikkö’s public artworks are located in Gothenburg and Tierp in Sweden, in the Lighthouse and Compass Hospitals in Turku, and in the lobby of the Aallokko family center in Seinäjoki. Her works are included in the art collections of Kiasma, the Finnish state, and the South Korean Wooran Foundation, among others.
Contact information:
www.piamannikko.com
piamannikko (a) hotmail.com
Tel. +358 40 522 2543
Free entrance