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

Friday, September 7, 2012

AAARGH!


AAARGH! – 10 years later
Galleria Huuto 10th anniversary exhibition
8–23 September 2012
Jätkäsaari warehouse L3, 2nd and 4th floor
Tyynenmerenkatu 6, 00220 Helsinki

Open every day 11 am – 6 pm
Welcome!

7 Sep 2012: Event for invited guests only, 5 pm – 7 pm
7 Sep 2012: Opening club (K-18) from 7 pm
with Pink Twins, O Samuli A, Casiomatik and JS666
15 Sep 2012: Satamadantsut from 6 pm


During September 2012, Galleria Huuto will celebrate its 10th anniversary
at Jätkäsaari warehouse L3, Helsinki. The AAARGH! – 10 years later
exhibition features some 70 Huuto artists’ works and performances that
will take over a thousand square meters inside an old warehouse. The
exhibition will also offer other activities, such as Satamadantsut which
combines music, performance art and video works from Finland, Estonia and
Mongolia.

The artists contributing to the anniversary exhibition are:
Pasi Autio, Maija Blåfield, Marina Ciglar, Eeva-Leena Eklund, Kaisa
Eriksson, Erika Erre, Kaarina Haka, Eija Hakkola, Kaisaleena Halinen,
Terhi Heino, Anja Helminen, Vesa Hjort, Antti Hämäläinen, Beata Joutsen,
Salla Järvinen, Jussi Karhunkorva, Elina Katara, Mauri Kuitula, Kimmo
Kumela, Johanna Lecklin, Niina Lehtonen-Braun, Mari Leskinen, Marjo
Levlin, Virve Lukka, Maija Luutonen, Sampo Malin, Paula Martikainen & Heli
Hietala, Tiia Matikainen, Tiina Mielonen, Juhana Moisander, Kasper
Muttonen, Pasi Mälkiä, Pilvi Ojala, Essi Ojanperä, Kaarina Ormio, Reija
Palo-Oja, Sari Palosaari, Sami Pennanen, Outi Pieski, Pink Twins, Laura
Pohjonen, Vesa Puhakka, Paula Puoskari, Tuomo Rainio, Mirka Raito, Satu
Rautiainen, Miia Rinne, Jaakko Rustanius, Hanna Saarikoski, Maiju
Salmenkivi, Katariina Salmijärvi, Hans-Peter Schütt, Elina Strandberg,
Minna Suoniemi, Aleksi Tolonen, Tapio Tuominen, Tatu Tuominen, Markus
Tuormaa, Kalle Turakka Purhonen, Ilona Valkonen, Marja Viitahuhta, Thomas
Westphal, Annu Wilenius & Oula Salokannel, Dominik Wlodarek, Heli Änkö and
Charlotta Östlund.

The anniversary exhibition contains installations, videos, photographs,
performances, paintings and everything else in between that has been
allowed to live freely in this time. The selection of contemporary art
included in the exhibition can also be seen as a representation of the
ten-year-old gallery's role as an "independent artist's workplace" which
has contributed to the definition of an artist's job description in modern
Finnish society. The anniversary exhibition is not only an indication of
Huuto's role in defending artistic participation, but also an indication
of the vitally important need for art to be renewed by an unestablished
generation of artists. Many of the current Huuto artists have made their
debut at Huuto – in the heart of Helsinki.

Huuto was created as an answer to the need for space to display
contemporary art. Galleria Huuto was originally established in 2002 as a
one-year project by a group of young artists. There was a need for an
artist-run gallery that was separate from cultural institutions and
independent of the art market hierarchies. Huuto was, therefore, also
about the professional preconditions for operating in the expanding field
of visual arts. Since then, 35–50 exhibitions have been held annually at
the two Huuto galleries. In addition, the gallery has taken part in
various international projects from touring exhibitions to exchange
exhibitions. In ten years, the group committed to running the gallery has
grown into an artist collective with 90 members.

Characteristic of the gallery, AAARGH! – 10 years later is a versatile and
proud demonstration of the importance of the artist-run Galleria Huuto for
Finnish visual artists.


The anniversary exhibition has been supported by the Finnish Art
Association and the Finnish Cultural Foundation.

Further information:
Essi Ojanperä, project@galleriahuuto.net, +358 (0)40 574 1854
Henni Oksman, director@galleriahuuto.net, +358 (0)400 653 461
www.galleriahuuto.net
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