Aleksi Tolonen
Trash
Galleria Huuto Jätkäsaari, Jätkä 1
12.11. – 27.11.2016
For this exhibition I collected trash and used it for my sculptures. The trash is linked to my immediate surroundings and my past. Aluminum cans run over by cars are a specialty of the area where my studio is, Jätkäsaari, thanks to the “beer-rally” from the Tallinn ferries and the American sodas sold at Verkkokauppa. VHS-videotapes are related to my recent past. They were once very valuable to me but now they are worthless. Trash is also a suitable analogy for our times. Trash is a by-product of our throwaway culture. It should be cleaned away but can no longer be just swept away. These days trash is everywhere, even in birds’ stomachs.
In addition to physical trash, this time of abundance also produces other types of trash. It is in our speech, in our media and in election campaigns. The internet is full of trash that many people do not even recognize as trash anymore. What is also trash is people’s indifference which causes this trash to just keep piling up. So how should we deal with this situation? For many this situation seems hopeless and they feel that their actions make no difference. As a result, hey stop taking anything seriously and start clowning around, turning everything into a circus. What would a circus be without clowns? It seems that clowns are everywhere now, even in serious and important positions, which in addition to trash says a lot about the times we are living in.
I have created the sculptures for the Trash exhibition with intuition and enthusiasm, by exploring and wondering. In the past I used to plan my exhibitions to form a coherent whole. Now it seems that I follow my instinct more and do what the material allows me to do. As I start something new I do know the what of what I ´m doing but I may not know the why. This is okay – I have done what felt right at the time.
P.S. On the opening night guests will be served grappa that I found in a dumpster.
This exhibition has been generously supported by Uudenmaan kulttuurirahasto, Uudenmaan Taidetoimikunta, Taiteen Keskustoimikunta and Greta and Wilhelm Lehtisen Säätiö
Aleksi Tolonen
aleksitolonen@yahoo.com, 0415461042
