Astrid Svangren's curious mirrored painting

Art in its newest, most zeitgeisty form is on show in the Common Things exhibition at KIASMA in Helsinki. Six artists from Finland and Sweden have been chosen to exhibit their work as a representation of our common experiences of contemporary society.

Each individual’s experiences make up part of an artistic tapestry via themes of personal and cultural identity, daily life, work and dreams. Thus a collective reality is created which is all about the world around us right now – from private and public aspects to political and artistic ideas.

Work and well-being in the professional sphere is a theme explored by Tellervo Kalleinen and Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen, a Helsinki-based couple who use video and performance-based art to convey their messages. For their installation ‘I love my job’, the pair collected real life accounts of difficult relationships at work and related fictional solutions.

Ideas of alientation and self-reflection are considered in photographic work by Jari Silomäki and Anna Ekman. Silomäki’s ‘Stories of alienation and profile – a potential school killer‘ series uses images and text to look at individual defence mechanisms in difficult situations, whilst Ekman’s ‘Black Pond’ presents a selection of photographs showing the reflection of a young man’s face on water. Image by image, the face depicted in the dark water disintegrates, becoming unidentifiable and fragmented. The piece symbolises self-absorption and mental instability.

Astrid Svangren also focuses on reflection and identity in her paintings. Currently based in Copenhagen, Svangren rejects the restrcitions of canvas in favour of reflective surfaces, which make both the gallery space and the viewer part of the painting. Her fascinating works consider various subjects, including memories and becoming a woman.

Ideas of immigration, belonging and cultural identity are highlighted in Kristina Müntzing‘s installation ‘New Swedes’ which is made up of a display of hundreds of souvenir dolls arranged across the gallery walls. A more traditional approach is taken by Ulrika Minami Wärmling whose paintings of goths are inspired by bourgeoise portraits from the 19th century.

The exhibition is part of the Swedish – Finnish Cultural Foundation’s 50th anniversary program.

Common Things – until 12th September 2010.

For more information see Kiasma’s website.