Vulnerability

 

At the opening of the Sinelmä exhibition by the artist cooperative Toolbox on Wednesday, July 10, at the HAA Gallery in Suomenlinna.

The theme of vulnerability immediately touched the darkest recesses of the soul. Discussions within our collective have brought suffering to the surface. These conversations can be heard in the recordings of The Mycelium Signal Podcast, where musicians, among others, reveal their own scars and wounds. The therapeutic nature of such Trauma Gnosis feels increasingly necessary, both for personal and societal tragedies. Although the holiday season warms most hearts and entertainment along with other consensus tricks aim to mask the horrors of the shadow world, hedonism unfortunately has its limits. But can the same be said about suffering?

Sinelmä partly reminds us of this with its small but powerful images depicting the expressions of concentration camp children and the entrances to those horror galleries.

In Finland, certain generations’ childhoods included the ”remmi” or ”koivuniemen herra,” names for the whip used in homes. One had to fetch it from the forest, and then parents placed it above the door as a reminder. Whips seem to be popular internationally, as artist Said Baalbaki showcased bronze ”Belt” sculptures.

In death, the worst part is often the fear, which is shockingly evident on the faces in some works. The process of industrial destruction can crush a person’s innermost self even before the body. This is excellently depicted by artist Mika Karhu’s bronze sculpture ”Persoona.” Similar results sometimes occur in construction site accidents, but most painfully, the inner self is squeezed out under the boot of totalitarianism, leaving only the extinguished gaze of a fish on the butcher’s table.

The color scheme in the second hall of the exhibition space is brighter, but the disturbing themes continue. I seem to see body bags on the beach sand, and the golden eyes of children staring from the background bore demandingly into my back.

I shake my head like a dog, and suddenly, the work of a familiar artist, Sampsa Indrén, ”Kevättä rinnassa,” bursts before me. I guess that without experience in the world of entrails, someone might sense the picture deeply in their skin. Sampsa’s biomorphic landscape expands in the painting ”Pyykkipäivä,” which I consider the gem of the exhibition. Go see it. There’s time until August 4. See you at the tanner’s beam!