Erika Weiste & Aki Viikilä
Of Fungi and Men
10.10.-3.11.2024
Of Fungi and Men is an animated installation reflecting on the coexistence of fungi and humans. The work explores the importance of mushroom picking traditions in shaping our relationship with nature and the skills required for navigating the forest.
The work is inspired by stories from Erika’s mother, in which mushroom picking intertwines with childhood memories rooted in Karelian culture. Through these narratives, a mental landscape emerges—a fictional map with which to move in forests. In addition to where the mushrooms grow, the map shows which species were previously picked and what foods were eaten. What were the forests like then, and what are they like now? What houses were found in the forests, and who lived in them? The map also reveals what happened to those people: some moved away, and some died. Some houses are now abandoned, and some have new residents—some fungi, some humans.
Fungi open up an extensive network of information, significant not only in a biological but also in a cultural-historical sense. By studying mushroom picking traditions, we can gain insights into the changes in forests over the decades. Additionally, mushroom picking involves tacit knowledge about the home environment, foraging, growing, and the preparation of food.
Mushrooms open up a vast web of countless things and entities—a network of stories in which our narrative is intrinsically woven. The work lingers at this intersection, where the human and non-human meet.
Erika Weiste is a visual artist who works mainly with installations, videos and animations. Weiste holds a Master of Arts degree from Aalto University and has studied animation at Edinburgh College of Art. In her works, Weiste combines painting and printmaking with animation, video and recycled materials. Her works have been on display at group and solo exhibitions in Finland and abroad and shown at international festivals and on YLE.
Aki Viikilä is a visual artist who also works as a musician and composer. His works include paintings and graphic design, compositions, music production and sound design for theater performances and short films.
Viikilä and Weiste have collaborated for several years. In addition to nature-related themes, common elements in their works include interdisciplinarity and spatiality and reflections on memories and the processes of time.
Thank you
The artists’ work has been supported by the Finnish Cultural Foundation’s South Karelia Regional Fund.
Contact details:
ericaweiste (a) gmail.com
aki.viikila (a) gmail.com
erikawe.wordpress.com
