Meidän Talo
17-29.4.2010 at KulttuuriKauppila, Kauppilantie 15, Ii
Meidän Talo is an exhibition by artist in residence Veronica Slater who lives and works on the Isle of Mull in Scotland. The title of the exhibition is taken from a popular home making magazine in Finland called Meidän Talo (Our House) that features a range of topics such as interior design, DIY, house sales and prefabricated homes. It is from this magazine that Slater has montaged houses and household goods onto tar and paint fragments which she has formed in the studio.
The tar has enormous significance to the area of Ii and Oulu as it is a natural resource extracted from the trees in surrounding forests. It was used in the construction of wooden ships from the 16th century and exported to all over Europe and beyond. It created wealth and built the grand houses of Oulu whilst creating the municipalities of this part of Finland.
Slater has sealed these tar and paint fragments against enamel surfaces that have spray painted patterns from the lace that adorns many Finnish windows. Through this domestic decorative the viewer enters the great vistas of a strange wilderness that the tar and paint create. Within these ‘fairytale’ islands sit houses that inhabit their own worlds providing a homely refuge from the fears of the unknown.
In Finland ‘Home’ is at the heart of everything in the long dark winter and has a very particular place in the Finnish psyche. Slater’s four month residency witnessed the coldest winter and the most snow for years. In observing the surrounding houses within this frozen wilderness, the artist realised her own restless quest for a state of mind called home that is Meidän Talo.
The artist would like to thank Hanne and all the children who bought her lace, exquisite Finnish wallpaper and a stock of Meidän Talos that all contributed to being part of the work plus to everyone at Kulttuurikauppila for their hard work and kindness in making her residency such a special experience.
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