26.11.2019
The opening program has been announced
Kunsthalle Seinäjoki will open in the Kalevan Navetta Arts and Culture Center in March 2020.The opening program has been announced. The program of the Kunsthalle Seinäjoki includes contemporary art exhibitions, public art and a diverse program of activities. Exhibitions are on display in the exhibition halls Halli and Vintti, located on the 2nd and 3rd floors of the Kalevan Navetta Art and Culture Center. The exhibition program focuses on contemporary art and rural and contemporary topics. The exhibitions include works by Finnish and international artists. The Nordic countries are of particular interest.
The program also includes workshops, guided tours, meetings with artists and many other events, which are produced together with other authors in the Kalevan Navetta. In addition to the Kalevan Navetta facilities, the Kunsthalle performs permanent and temporary public art both in the city center and in rural environments. The Kunsthalle Seinäjoki is a part of the cultural services of the City of Seinäjoki.
Petra Koivisto in dialogue with the new space
Printmaker Petra Koivisto’s exhibition shall open the Kunsthalle’s new exhibition space Vintti. Vintti as a space offers a powerful experience with its seven-meter roof, wooden surfaces and a round window. The exhibition on display at Vintti is called Notes. The artist explains the idea behind the name: “The landscapes and things I have seen and experienced. Colors and shapes, horizon and light. My works are like observations or notes of all this. In my studio, I roll and paint on a plate as if I were writing down my own observations.”
Koivisto works on a large monotypes. The image rolled and painted on the plexiglass is pressed or printed on the paper. Unlike other printmaking methods, a work can only be printed once. Koivisto’s method is exceptional in Finland: the studio in the Koivisto family’s farm at Luopajärvi in Jalasjärvi has the largest graphic press in Finland.
Koivisto says that this exhibition process has been particularly interesting because she has seen the Vintti space changing into an exhibition space. She says: “I want to give it also a chance to influence my work.”
Petra Koivisto (b. 1975) is a printmaker born in Ulvila, Finland, who lives and works in Jalasjärvi. Koivisto, who has studied the Academy of Fine Arts, has held numerous solo exhibitions, participated in group exhibitions, received significant scholarships and has published her works in public collections. Koivisto is an active member of the Seinäjoki Artists’ Association.
The exhibition will be on display from March 11 to May 10, 2020 at Vintti
Professional dreams come true in Halli
The first exhibition of the Kunsthalle’s exhibition space Halli is “Nice to (finally) meet you!” curated by Laura Köönikkä. The works in this group exhibition of three artists seen for the first-time in Finland explore the boundaries of material and form and take up the whole large exhibition hall. Textile works by Hanne Friis (NO) reproduce the appearance of a living object just like an organic plant. Sigurdur Gudjonsson‘s (IS) slow monotone hypnotic video works take the subject into a state of losing the environment surrounding the work. Julie Stavad‘s (DK) sculptures combine graphic simplicity with large and crude material surfaces. The curator has long dreamed of working with these artists, and the artists have also hoped to be performed in Finland. The exhibition, which unites professional dreams, is also the first step towards the dream of the Kunsthalle to present fresh Nordic art.
The exhibition will be on display from March 11 to August 1, 2020 at Halli.