The art of individual and collective

Kimmo Kumela's (b.1971) art work alternates between small-scale and massive. His small-scale drawings form a multi-part series sometimes combined with large drawings where the foot of the page is sometimes left unfinished. Add newspaper pages with covered photos and texts as well as other surprising elements and the work is complete.

When Kumela covers words, one by one, in books and articles, he simultaneously leaves a mark and erases it. We have reached the essential sphere of drawing/writing/painting where the visible becomes invisible and the re-emerges as a new perceptibility. Maybe for this reason, Kumela's art work has a melancholic feel, for what could be seen earlier has now disappeared under a new surface. The viewer remains with a reference to this preceding element, almost like a memory left behind. In melancholy, our previous object of love dies or disappears, making loving him/her/it impossible. In Kumela's work, the covered text is lost and all that remains for us is but a trace or a shadow of it.

Kumela often uses collage as a method of presentation. I prefer calling his method collage rather than installation, because resembling Cubism, Kumela's contrast of work is unaffected and accentuates surface variations. Another link to Cubism is Kumela's way of playing with books and magazines, in other words, with texts. He seems to be asking in a metaphysical level, what difference is between reading a written text and decoding a picture - if indeed there is one.

When making drawings on a newspaper, the artist treats the fundamental issues of painting by being in direct contact with different layers, surfaces and coverage. The faintly visible base material adds another dimension where viewers can interact with Kumela's technical choices. The plain page of a newspaper featuring soon-to-be forgotten news and information transforms into something tragic, poetic, humoristic or, simply said, into something a lot more interesting than before.

Some of Kimmo Kumela's work almost demand to be looked at, for their scribbly-like nature gives birth to a light hazy impression that easily captivates the eye. In these patched works, Kumela seems to be examining the natural ground of the line and of what calls them into being. In addition, the composed and rascally humoured work beautifully adds flavour to the artist's philosophical working method. The philosophical aspect is created with the way the artist processes the problematic of gesture, expression, technique and pictoriality. Despite the philosophical side, Kumela's art work is not staid but rather playful and slightly ironic with hints of romantic emotionality. With several different displays, Kimmo Kumela portrays interesting and differing ways of expression and narrativity, even if the overall work of art itself is formed of similar parts to a great extent. This way, individual works are the building elements of a narration, able to transform into something new from situation to situation. The fascinating puzzle put together by Kumela practically invites one to lose track of time.

Juha-Heikki Tihinen

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Galleria Kohiseva


Welcome to the opening of the exhibition of Kimmo Kumela and Merja Salonen 7th of July at 7pm. Exhibition will be open until 31th of July at Galleria Kohisevan Vintti in Pukkila, Finland, mon - fri 9 - 16, sat 10 - 17, sun 11 - 17.

Galleria Kohisevan Vintti
Keskustie 19
07560 Pukkila, Finland
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Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Postcards

Two of my works have been released as postcards.
Postcards are on sale at exhibitions or via email: kimmokumela(at)gmail.com




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Thursday, May 21, 2009

Reija Palo-oja and Kimmo Kumela at GalleriaKONE


Welcome to the opening of our exhibition on friday 22nd May 6pm.

Exhibition will be open until 16th June,
tu-fri 11-18, sat-sun 11-17.
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Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Yksilön Kaipuu at Porvoo Art Hall


Welcome to the opening today 2.4. at 6pm! The fourth Yksilön Kaipuu-exhibition opens at Porvoo Art Hall and will be open until 3.5.2009 tu-sun 10-16. Artisits of the exhibition are Minna Havukainen, Mauri Kuitula, Kimmo Kumela, Anni Leppälä, Virve Lukka, Reija Palo-oja and Hanna Räty.
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Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Mältinranta Artcenter


On 28th of March opens my joint exhibition with Hanni Bjartalid at Mältinranta Artcenter in Tampere, Finland. The exhibition will be open until 14th of April, mon-thu 12-18 and fri-sun 12-16.

Opening is on friday 27th of March at 6pm. Welcome!
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Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Finnish Painters Union sales exhibition


Finnish Painters Union sales exhibition at Cable factory in Helsinki opens 20.3. and continues until 29.3. Exhibition is open from 12 to 18, weekends from 11 to 17.

I'm presenting 'Untitled (Judgment)' and two other works.
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Thursday, February 12, 2009

Supermarket in Stockholm, Sweden


SUPERMARKET is proud to announce its third annual edition of the international artist-run art fair. This year SUPERMARKET will occupy the stylish Clarion Hotel Stockholm on the island of Södermalm, with an estimated 50 International exhibitors transforming the classy hotel premises into a vibrant artist-run art fair.

Galleria Huuto from Helsinki, Finland is participating Supermarket artfair in Stockholm Sweden. I´m showing a series of drawings

Dates: Fri–Sun, February 13th–15th, 2009. Opening hours: Friday-Saturday 11-22, Sunday 11-18. Adress: Clarion Hotel Stockholm, Ringvägen 98, Skanstull.
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