I found an old smoke sauna, already half way rotten, roof disappeared. I started to hang around in this Finnish forest, at the sauna, doing things there. Seasons, days and nights moved on, nature kept on doing the work I had started. The former smoke sauna turned out to be a stage for human traces.
The name of the exhibition refers to north, rough circumstances, arctic environment, to the very beginning with only ‘swamp, hoe and Jussi’. This kind of feeling I had often during the work. I could see how a family had used this sauna, in a very pure state: the sauna has been built in the middle of forest, a lake is far away. Anyway people made their living out of something.
I did things, which could have happened at the sauna at that time, when it still worked out and gave it’s heat to those who built it. The place recovered, of course a bit differently and unexpectedly than before. But I’ve been fascinated of thoughts like ‘here they must have had their towels hanged’.
I’ve been playing with thoughts and materials, and occasionally been surprised: how a piece of work became scary, even though I hadn’t meant it. I used to stop and just look, lived for a moment in another awareness. The working process has been like a child whose growing I’m watching: you can never exactly know, how it is turning to be.
The exhibition is a series of photo posters with hand calligraphy texts. They show my working at the smoke sauna. The texts are notes of the working period (2004-2005) picked up from my note book.
Welcome!
Ulrika Ylioja
ulrika(at)ulrika-ylioja.com
www.ulrika-ylioja.com
tel. 09 444 645 or 09 673 271
Thank you:
The City of Helsinki, Finnish Cultural Foundation, Finnish Art Society, the Seppälä family, the heirs of Väinö Linna, family, friend
