Eeva-Leena Eklund is the first Finnish artist in the exhibition series by EMMA and the Saastamoinen Foundation, in which a work of art for the foundation’s collection is commissioned from a topically relevant contemporary artist. This year’s exhibition, entitled Eeva-Leena Eklund:), will be on display in EMMA 28.10.2020–9.5.2021.
Eeva-Leena Eklund finds the themes for her work in everyday life and its precise observation. Exhilaratingly she overturns our notions of the seriousness of painting, of credible subjects and the structural rules of the image, thereby revising and expanding our idea of what the medium of painting is and what can be expressed with it. Eklund’s strength is in her ability to see behind clichés and express them in completely novel ways.
The show is curated by artist Anna Tuori. Adding photographs, objects and moving images to her paintings, Eklund has created a rich display that compresses visual impulses, stories and memories into an autonomous, fascinating world.
“I’ve always been a collector. Often more is better, even if it can be a bit difficult sometimes. I like that there’s lots to see and discover, but I also want my paintings to be able to hold their own without the surplus of the installation around them. It also gives me the added pleasure of being able to create new combinations of paintings that work. 💕🌸❤️♥️👀♥️💕🌸🌼💕👀♥️,” says Eeva-Leena Eklund.
The collaboration between the Saastamoinen Foundation and EMMA has previously featured works by Alicja Kwade and Tatsuo Miyajima. The exhibitions are always presented in the same space, but in Eeva-Leena Eklund’s hands it is again transformed. The very entrance to the show contradicts the building’s austere concrete architecture: one enters through an arched gate and the arched shape is repeated by a mirror element in the centre of the exhibition space. The artist also uses the view out from the gallery in creative ways.
Eeva-Leena Eklund (b. 1972, Pori) graduated from the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts in 2003. She has had several solo exhibitions, including in Helsinki at the SIC gallery (2017) and Gallery Sculptor (2011 and 2004), in Tampere at Gallery Huoltamo (2008) and in Helsinki at Kluuvi Gallery (2003). Her works are included in various collections, including Helsinki Art Museum, EMMA, Finnish State Art Commission and Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation. This exhibition in EMMA is the artist’s first solo exhibition in a museum.
Photo: Eeva-Leena Eklund, Holiday (punainen), 2020
Photographer: Ari Karttunen, EMMA
