Taru Happonen
Other-than-human
18.9.–11.10.2020
The artist is present Sat-Sun September 26-27 at 12-17.
Taru Happonen’s solo exhibition “Other-than-human” examines the environment from the perspective of a creature that is visiting Earth for the first time. Humans and their creations will then not stand out from the rest of the environment. Instead, buildings and traffic signs blend in with the plants and the skeletons of extinct animal species, creating an inseparable whole.
The artist’s paintings are a combination of abstract and figurative elements. When examined closer, one can see small details among the thick layers of oil paint. The color palette is based on different species’ ability to see colors. While a human may see something as gray, for another creature it may be full of color.
The combination of organic and synthetic and also the unpredictable transience of life extend from the theme to the materials used in the works. Some of the oil paintings have been created on plastic bags fastened to stretcher bars. As a painting surface, a plastic bag is less resistant to aging than cotton. The appearance of these paintings will change more rapidly than that of the other works.
Taru Happonen (b. 1989, Lahti) is an artist who lives and works in Helsinki. She is currently attending the master’s program at the Academy of Fine Arts (University of the Arts Helsinki), specializing in painting. Her works have been on display at various solo and group exhibitions, most recently at tm•gallery in Helsinki and at Galleria Uusi Kipinä in Lahti. In 2021, she will take part in the Kuvan kevät MFA degree show organized by the Academy of Fine Arts.
The exhibition has been supported by the Arts Promotion Centre Finland.
taru(a)taruhapponen.com
taruhapponen.com
Instagram: @taruhapponen
