Aulis Harmaala
A Person Dressed Up as a Butterfly
5–28 January 2024
A butterfly collection found at a flea market ended up as the artist’s material. The original collection was from the 1960s–1980s and has already been destroyed. The persons mentioned in the labels had the same last name – perhaps a father and a son collected butterflies together.
Harmaala says: “I collected butterflies for one summer when I was a kid. In the autumn, the collection fell on the floor and broke. My work process included interpreting personal myths through a butterfly. I wrote down my experiences and memories that fall somewhere between true and untrue. I rebuilt my childhood butterfly collection.”
The work includes photographs of the collection found at a flea market, butterflies made of paper and short texts. The installation includes butterfly wings attached to clothes, a butterfly net and preparation equipment. Visitors can try on the butterfly clothes when the artist is present at the gallery.
Thanks to butterfly enthusiasts, there is a great deal of information on butterfly species and their changes. No live butterflies were collected for this exhibition.
Aulis Harmaala (b. 1966) works are installations, oil paintings, photographs and collections of items. The themes of his exhibitions are based on experiences related to his personal life as well as social issues. Harmaala earned a Master of Arts degree from Aalto University in 2011.
Further information
aulis.harmaala(a)gmail.com
www.aulisharmaala.info
Instagram @aulisharma
