Liisa Lounila, The Everlasting

Liisa Lounila, The Everlasting, 2005, image: Liisa Lounila

Finnish artist Liisa Lounila (b. 1976) produces art ranging from oil paintings to moving images to textual explorations to sculpture. Further, she uses glitter to create large-scale images (solo, triptychs, series of multiples) which are primarily black and white with shades of grey—with one exception being Vandal, 2003 which incorporates red. There is a recurring glitz, glamour and bling aesthetic in her recent works (e.g. Two Sugars Would Be Great, 2011 and Stargazing, 2011). The first displays two standard coffee cups (and stir sticks) shining in a consumerist ensemble like svelte gemstones from Tiffany & Co.; the latter: a worn pair of classic Converse sneakers coated thickly in silver, protected by a transparent glass case. In addition, her light sculptures The End and Sorry Luv, 2009 are metallic and possess embedded miniature lights resembling LED’s emphasizing a narcissistic undercurrent due to the presence of mirrors and lights resembling those used to accentuate a private boudoir.

One image to return to again and again is The Everlasting, 2005 which is a glittery triptych displaying an unidentifiable building which appears to be in flames and is being extinguished by high powered water. What purpose did this building once serve before it became threatened and began to burn? Who entered and exited it—and why? The building appears similar in construction to the proverbial diner in Edward Hopper’s painting Nighthawks, 1942 in that it appears to originate from the same mid-twentieth century period which produced long, low structures which were cost-effective and a response to living in Midwestern or Southern regions of the United States, where space was not a pressing concern.

The building is either being destroyed or being saved, and one could ask: what is so special about this building being destroyed (or rescued) as opposed to another? The answer is more often than not: nothing. It is not this building which serves to be of interest but the transformation between life and death: of an entity, position or idea. Like watching any liquid turn to gas and spread into the air, the answer more often than not lies in the ethereal. Many find it satisfying on an unspoken level to watch something outside of one’s self die or desist, especially if the death of the obsolete leads to the birth of something else which is perceivably improved—even new—for the spectator.To see the review in context, click here.

Edgar Cleijne & Ellen Gallagher, “Better Dimension”

Edgar Cleijne & Ellen Gallagher
Installation view. Image: Jacquelyn Davis.

Presenting collaborations between Dutch artist Edgar Cleijne and US artist and filmmaker Ellen Gallagher, ‘Better Dimension’ at Stockholm’s Bonniers Konsthall includes experimental works that provide socio-political commentary on US history and race relations from a cosmic, obscure distance. More »

Riga International Biennial of Contemporary Art (RIBOCA1)

Aslan Gaisumov
Aslan Gaisumov, People of No Consequence, 2016.

For the first Riga International Biennial of Contemporary Art, curator Katarina Gregos has chosen to view Latvia as ‘the center of the world,’ where other regions and nationalities become satellites. This is refreshing, for the Baltics have previously been considered to have a peripheral status. More »

Johannes Heldén, “The Exploding Book”

Johannes Heldén
Johannes Heldén, Clouds, 2017.

As one enters the space temporarily designated for Swedish artist and poet Johannes Heldén’s The Exploding Book at Konstakademin’s in Stockholm, one detects that Heldén is receptive to nuance; each creative gesture confirms his dedication to both text and image, expressed with equitable consideration. More »

Malin Gabriella Nordin, “Floating from Within”

Malin Gabriella Nordin, Veil of Dreams, 2017. Image: Gallery Steinsland Berliner.

Stockholm-based artist Malin Gabriella Nordin is one of many Swedish women artists who resort to the basics – or perhaps the old ways, meaning they’re not particularly interested in the digital. More »

“Survival Kit 9”

Andris Eglītis, Laboratory of Poetic Research, 2017. Image: Jacquelyn Davis.

The 9th edition of Survival Kit is orchestrated by a small team of Baltic and Scandinavian curators: Jonatan Habib Engqvist, Solvita Krese and Inga Lāce. All possess a background in organizing independently and within the confines of institutions, which may be their strong point—their fluidity. More »

The 9th Momentum Biennial

Jenna Sutela, Sporulating Paragraph, 2017. Image: Momentum 9.

Momentum 9, taking place in the industrial town of Moss, Norway, is being curated by Ulrika Flink, Ilari Laamanen, Jacob Lillemose, Gunhild Moe, and Jón B.K. Ransu, who together represent the Scandinavian region. With this biennial’s focus on ‘alienation’, the curators joined forces to determine how alien processes and entities are infused in our lives through technological, ecological and social transformations. More »

Klas Eriksson, “Vet din mamma var du e?”

Klas Eriksson
Klas Eriksson, Evidence of Patchwork, 2017. Image: Göteborgs Konsthall.

Swedish artist Klas Eriksson has developed a practice rooted in examining subcultures via works in public spaces and spontaneous performances. With an interest in how power flows and how crowds function, the artist attempts to unpack sociopolitical dynamics using playful tactics. More »

Lovisa Ringborg, “Night Remains”

Lovisa Ringborg
Lovisa Ringborg, Fountain, 2017. Image: Cecilia Hillström Gallery.

In Lovisa Ringborg’s second exhibition at this gallery, the artist upholds the argument that displaying a set of harmonious works can be more potent than a plethora of free-floating entities. More »

Przemek Pyszczek, “1989”

Przemek Pyszczek
Przemek Pyszczek, Public Relief No 6, 2016. Image: Gallery Belenius.

Polish-born, Canadian-raised, Berlin-based artist Przemek Pyszczek displays new works which are primarily sculptural and mixed media, with stints into collage. More »