VAALIMISEN ARVOISTA – WONDERS OF THE WORLD - EXHIBITION
KWUM museum, Fiskars Finland 2022
15.5.-30.9.2022
12.05.2022
In her first solo exhibition the internationally awarded glass designer presents a collection of artworks made from glass, wood and dried flowers. – Beautiful, silent calls for help created to celebrate the precious, natural wonders that are under threat due to human activity, and to encourage the viewer to critically examine their own actions and consumption path.
“Art can offer experiences of the wonders of the world and create engrams of remote places – without us embarking on a physical journey”
21.12.2022
Glow worm cave’ art piece is now part of Finnish State Art Deposit Collection.
The artworks acquired by Finnish State Art Commission from 1956 onward constitute the State Art Deposit Collection, which is currently one of the largest art collections in Finland, comprising approximately 14,500 works of art by around 2,000 artists working in different media. The Commission’s principle has throughout its existence been to acquire topical contemporary art as broadly as possible.
The State Art Commission is part of the Finnish National Gallery. The collection is part of Finland’s national heritage and is owned by the State. The Finnish National Gallery is responsible for the care, maintenance and development of the collection.
The Glowworm Cave (Arachnocampa luminosa), 2022
Glowworms are bioluminescent insects that can be found in the humid caves of Waitomo, New Zealand. The glowworms weave sticky webs from the cave ceiling in order to catch their prey. The intricate webs together with waterdrops lit by the glowworms glow in the dark like pieces of glass, making the Waitomo caves a major tourist attraction, where only commercial photographers get to enjoy the authentic experience.
With her installation, Nuutinen wants the viewer to be able to enjoy the unique beauty of the caves without putting a strain on the environment or the habitat of these insects and asks: Could art experiences become a form of virtual travel and a means to protect these habitats?…read more.
Lion’s mane, 2022 - Yamabushitake (Hericium erinaceus)
The sculpture is created to honour both mushrooms and the forest ecosystems that sustain them – To the life that consists of countless, equally important parts beating to a joint rhythm …read more.
Brilliant blooms, 2022
Brilliant Blooms is a celebration of flowers: Their fascinating intricacy and beauty beyond our comprehension. During times of anguish and uncertainty, flowers can bring us lightness and joy. New growth and the delicate blooms of Spring bring us the promise of new beginnings…read more.
Amazon rainforest, 2022
The artwork is a memorial for those parts of the Amazon ecosystems that are already lost. Its repetitive rhythm points out how small deeds impact the big picture unnoticed. That, which we consider remote to us, still affects all of us on this small, fragile planet. It is our joint task to care for our unique, invaluable environment…read more.
Wonders of the World is a collection of minimalistic yet refined and detailed artworks made from glass, wood and dried flowers, created to highlight many of the precious, natural wonders that are under threat due to human activity. The viewer gets to admire Lion’s mane, an edible fungus that grows in symbiosis with trees and the glowing threads of the Glowworm caves of Waitomo, but the exhibition also puts the viewer face to face with the deforestation of the rainforests. The significance of the ecosystems of forests to all life on Earth is one of the carrying themes of Nuutinen's exhibition.
“With these artworks I want to show how much we have to cherish around us. I want to encourage the viewer to critically examine their own habits and consumption patterns. The hard reality is that in order to protect and preserve the natural environment, each one of us is required to make personal sacrifices and changes to our lifestyle.”
Nuutinen hopes that her collection of artworks will inspire positive concern and action in the viewer, so that the wonders of the world could be preserved for future generations and asks could art experiences become a form of virtual travel and a means to protect these precious habitats?
Nuutinen worked on this collection of artworks during the Covid-19 pandemic. When the pandemic shut the world, the Shanghai sky cleared up and dolphins swam back to the canals of Venice. Each of us had to change our behaviour and adapt in unprecedented ways.
“I wish that once the dust settles, we would not forget what is essential in life and worth investing in. Isolation taught us to value the connection with others and now, more than ever, we need a deeper connection with nature, too. That, which we consider to be remote to us, still affects all of us on this small, fragile planet. It is our joint task to care for our unique, invaluable environment. ”
Nuutinen’s artworks point out what is at risk of being lost forever and ask if we could from now on choose a different direction – act now, stop over-consumption and allow the natural ecosystems to recover.
“Even though climate change presents a slower, more long-term health threat, an equally dramatic and sustained shift in behaviour will be needed to prevent irreversible damage”, writes climate change researcher Arthur Wyns from the World Health Organization on the World Economic Forum. (2.4.2020)
Download the press release in Finnish & English from here.
Exhibition is supported by:
