FIGURE OF THE DEAD RIVER 2020

and COVID-19…

Background:

I have been working and spending some times

in Western Finnish Lapland at Äkäslompolo village

since year 2002 and that area has been growing very

important to me. There is home for my soul and

I have been feeling quite stressed about environmental

situations regarding local mining plans. So I started to

take a stand for those plans and started to work together

with people of Äkäslompolo Village to support them in

local Hannukainen mining conflict. 2017 started

the first Art Äkäslompolo contemporary environmental

art project curated with artist Maria Huhmarniemi from Muodoslompolo/Muonio. She is also chairman of Artists´Assosiation of Lapland and working as lectuter in University

of Lapland in Rovaniemi.

Tornio River in my mind:

First thing I have been really concerned among other

things is been the water pollution.The toxins from the

planned mines would drain most likely to the Tornio River.

And so on from the river to the sea and also to the ground

waters. Poisoning very large areas of the water body of the

soil.

Then i had very strong vision of poisoned river and so I

simply must to start to figure out how poisoned and dead

river looks and now I am painting this anti-dream

and despair to others also visible. When I started

to work in autumn 2019 I had two exhibitions coming

springtime 2020 , but as we have seen there came

world wide Corona Pandemic and canceled all

exhibitions.

The work will anyhow be completed this year -

peace by peace and gets maybe some Corona viruses

also floating with the water…

I have used as background of the painting

the backdrops of the stage which is thick

linen fabric, attached to it rice paper and 

painted it before and after attachment.

One piece at a time. Piece by piece.

I use only natural pigments and example turmeric 

to make the age-old Japanese style Soya tempera,

coffee, red wine and Sumi ink and Chinese ink etc.

Also I am using simple kind of 

embroidery to make some look-a-like 

maps borderlines with hand spinned and

plant dyed wool yarn from Finnish lamb.

Lets see what it will come. Here is some

pics taken during the process…