Coppersmithy, Fiskars
16.6.-1.9.2024
Mon-Sun 11am-18pm
The Onoma Cooperative of Artists, Designers and Artisans in Fiskars to celebrate 30 years of exhibitions as part of the Fiskars Village Art & Design Biennale
The exhibition Fragile celebrates the Onoma cooperative’s 30th anniversary. This time, the aim has been to focus on localness, and only artists from Fiskars have been invited by the curator Marja Sakari, including some Fiskars (AiR) artists-in-residence over the years. The theme of the 2024 exhibition leads us to think about the fragility of world politics and nature, as well as the fragility of life in general.
The village community made up of artists and artisans based in Fiskars can be seen as a fragile structure, loosely formed around creative activity. At the same time, the community has proven to be amazingly resilient and strong. The history, nature, tradition of artisanship, affordable workspaces, and peaceful and inspiring environment of Fiskars are things that have attracted, and continue to attract, a variety of artists. People have come and gone, but art and creativity are still present here.
The exhibition Fragile is intended to honour the spirit of resilience that the Fiskars community of artists has demonstrated for more than 30 years. The exhibition will also include works by five deceased artists who lived in Fiskars: Martti Aiha, Markku Kosonen, Jukka Mäkelä, Stig Nordman, and Howard Smith. The exhibition expands to become a tribute to the work of Fiskars artists, the different artistic practices, and the preservation of tradition.
In addition to its umbrella theme, the exhibition Fragile includes several subthemes around which the works intertwine and overlap: the works deal with fragile nature, the passage of time, space, and place. Nature, time and space can be understood in different ways and in different combinations: the space of nature, the nature of time, and the time of nature. Time holds within it a fragile life from birth to death. Fragility is approached both as the fragility of subject matter, at a more abstract level, and as the fragility of matter. To what extent can matter be shaped to create something delicate and fragile while still retaining its strength? Many of the works explore the theme of fragile through the movements of the mind. Play and the mind form fragile games of the mind, playful combinations. The exhibition discusses spaces of the mind, the time of places and space, and the space of our time.
Many of the works in the exhibition explore disappearing traditions, including the handicraft tradition and the folk tradition. The community in Fiskars has learned to cherish and draw on this disappearing, fragile world.
The exhibition features works by a total of 69 artists. The works exhibited represent a comprehensive cross-section of local artistry, featuring various materials and art forms. The local artist residency, Onoma’s international Fiskars AiR, which has been running for 18 years, will also be featured, with works exhibited by five artists.
Artists
Erna Aaltonen / Martti Aiha / Eeva-Kaisa Ailus / Päivi Alajuntti / Upi Anttila / Heikki Aska / Daniela Bergschneider / Bella Deary & Nicholas Tossman / Kirsti Doukas / Mafune Gonjo / Hannele Grönlund / Eero Haikala / Laura Hallantie / Lulu Halme / Antrei Hartikainen / Pekka Ijäs / Mari Isopahkala / Maikki Kaikuru / Tiina Karimaa & Lumi Fellman / Erika Kelter / Minja Kolehmainen / Sirpa Kolu & Pirkko Kolu / Markku Kosonen / Maaretta Krohn / Barbro Kulvik & Antti Siltavuori / Mikko Laakkonen / Peetu Liesinen / Elina Makkonen / Johanna Matruka / Rudi Merz & Laura Merz / Camilla Moberg / Risto Musta / Timo Mustajärvi / Anu Mykrä & Reetta Ranta / Jukka Mäkelä / Pia Nieminen / Stig Nordman / Ron Nordström / Piitu Nykopp / Saara Paatero-Burtsov / Katri Pailos / Jaakko Pakkala / Deepa Panchamia & Viivi Varesvuo / Tuulia Penttilä / Milvi Pesari / Mikael Pohjola / Katarina Reuter / Sami Ryhänen / Annatuuli Saine & Saine Ensemble / Rutsuko Sakata / Taru Samola / Lea Sarasjoki / Howard Smith / Riitta Talonpoika / Anna Ulff / Tiina Vaskivaara & Susanna Louneva / Eva Vevere / Karin Widnäs / Kari Virtanen / Arto Vuohelainen / Katja Öhrnberg
Team
Exhibition curator: Marja Sakari
Exhibition design: Mattila&Merz/Laura Mattila and Mikko Merz (members of the Onoma cooperative)
Graphic designer for the exhibition: Ilona Ilottu/Dog Design
Production: Matleena Kalajoki (executive director), Risto Musta and Kati Sointukangas
Fragile to be one of the two main exhibitions at the Fiskars Village Art & Design Biennale in the summer of 2024
The main exhibition, conceived by Luovi Productions, the founder of the Fiskars Village Art & Design Biennale, transforms the Old Granary on the Fiskars River into an atmospheric summer villa. Rooms with different characters will be built on the top floor, and together they will form one large living space with different functions. The rooms will all be designed to include furnishings from carefully selected design brands. The current plan includes at least a dining room, kitchen, living room, bedroom, children’s room, and studio. There will be an element of the unexpected when surprise guests arrive at the summer villa. A work of art by an international artist, chosen by the curator Sini Rinne-Kanto, will be featured in each room, adding layers and depth to the spatial experience.
Fiskars Village Art & Design Biennale
Open to the public 16 June–1 September 2024, Mon–Sun, 11:00–18:00
Hauras / Skör / Fragile
Kuparipaja, Kuparivasarantie 5
10470 Fiskars
Yllätysvieras / Surprise guest
Viljamakasiini, Fiskarsintie 333
10470 Fiskars
Some 100 artists, designers and artisans will be featured in the biennale’s exhibitions.
Being held for the third time, the Fiskars Village Art & Design Biennale is a series of events that explore new ideas and experiences at the intersections of art and design, which are constantly being redefined. The Fiskars Village Art & Design Biennale juxtaposes current issues in contemporary art, design and architecture, allowing something new and surprising to emerge.
The main partner of the biennale will, again, be Fiskars Group, whose birthplace is the village where the event takes place. Fiskars Group, celebrating its 375th anniversary, is proud to celebrate its birthday in Fiskars Village in connection with the biennale, Fiskars Festival concerts, and numerous other visits and events.
