I am nearing the end of my self-directed residency at the Cable Factory in Helsinki, Finland, where I have been working from the studio of Finnish artist Timo Rytkönen for the past two weeks. The biggest thrill has been the energy at Kaapelitehdas—Cable Factory—with its art shows, museums, and the artists I’ve met here. More on the artists in another post.
Artists Timo Rytkönen, Eva-Riitta Pesonen and Ulla Kuronen at Pesonen’s opening night. Photo: SLCT
On my first evening, I attended the opening of Eva-Riitta Pesonen’s exhibition of oil paintings. Apart from the exquisite details and color harmonies, the stories behind the works captivated me. She spoke of clothing handed down through generations, lace removed from garments and preserved as families were forced to relocate because of war. I’ve seen the exhibit 4 times so far, and each time, there is something new to discover in each fold that gently articulates a story of time and place.
Installation at the Hotel and Restaurant Museum. Photo: SLCT
With my Museum Card, I visited several museums, including 2 at Cable Factory: Finnish Museum of Photography and Hotel and Restaurant Museum. The latter’s permanent exhibition showcased the history and heritage of food and beverage, and the service culture related to school feeding, food made in factories, and home cooking. I discovered that only men were allowed in restaurants because these establishments sold alcoholic beverages. Even now, alcohol sales are limited to specialty shops, unlike in Grenada where alcohol is readily available in supermarkets, groceries, corner shops and rumshops. I noticed too, similarities to the Caribbean of my childhood era… metal plates and enamel cups.
Minizine workshop. Photo: SLCT
This past Saturday, I participated in a free minizine workshop offered at the MUU Helsinki Contemporary Art Centre, and organised by MUU/BOOKED 2024 and Femicomix Finland network. A minizine is a mini magazine made from a single sheet of A4 paper. We created collective minizines—one per person, but with input from everyone. It is an excellent project for creatives, social work and similar events.
TEOS 2024 in the cavernous Merikaapelihalli hall. Photo: SLCT
There were other group exhibitions at Cable Factory—too many, and too little time to see everything, but what a resource to have at hand! TEOS 2024 showcased over 2,000 works by 370 artists in the cavernous Merikaapelihalli hall, a collaboration of the Finnish Art Artists Association, Finnish Art Graphic Designers, and the Association of Photographic Artists.
Artwork by Kristo Saarikoski, Vappa ’24 show. Photo: SLCT
The Vappa ‘24 exhibition showed fresh and innovative works by students of the Free Art School, and Kristo Saarikoski’s work caught my eye. My only an complaint was lack of labels next to the works, and really small item numbers just about floor height, making for difficult citations.
Two weeks have not been enough, but all in all, my time here has been stimulating. Looking forward to translating everything I’ve learned and discovered into some form of art.