Malabarista

I visited Finlayson Art Area, a visual arts event in the old Finlayson factory area (fourth time!). The exhibitions are open till 28th August, so today was my last change to experience those tremendous art works once again. One of my favourites were Antti Tanttu's prints - in the picture is his work Malabarista.

http://finlaysonartarea.fi/english/

Antti Tanttu. Pictorial, graphic and video artist, b. 1963, lives in Espoo and works in Helsinki

Antti Tanttu is a versatile artist working in painting, video, film, woodcuts and graphic art. From 2004 to 2009, he was a professor of graphic art at the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts. The exhibition at FAA includes woodcuts and mixed-media work on medium-density fibreboard as well as watercolours.

Tanttu’s work is often about loneliness, absence and longing. “Every human being needs to be alone sometimes. Sometimes you want to be alone, and sometimes you cannot stand the loneliness. The loneliness of an artist is not about the lack of company. It is something that accompanies the freedom of the profession.”

Wood is an important material for Tanttu. The subjects are first engraved in wood veneer and then printed on paper. The traces of the grains in the wood are visible in the finished works. As one of his starting points, the artist mentions the tree of life executed by him for the altarpiece of Viikki church.

Born in Spain, Tanttu sometimes selects Spanish-language names for his work, which opens up various perspectives. For instance, Malabarista means a conjuror, but also a trickster and a juggler.

Plain figures on a monochrome surface create a simple and stylish effect. The figures are sorrowful and sometimes even frightening, but they are often also coloured by humour. The images are like symbols of the deeper meanings of humanity. The subjects resemble fragments of stories whose end the viewer is left to ponder. (7. Old factory, second floor)



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