The works selected for Woikka Contemporary are a constellation of paintings created between the years 2019 and 2021. At the time I had a strategy of choosing images instinctively from vast archives of old photo books largely from the 1920s to 1980s, creating non-linear narratives, juxtaposing different times and eras and events. These small black and white images were transformed through paint, colour, cropping and distortion.
The time from 2019 – 2021 will be a period defined by before and after, life before the global pandemic, life before war in Ukraine. In the exhibition there is a small blue-green painting called ”virus” depicting men in masks it was painted in March 2019, I was thinking about nuclear disaster, it was almost a year before Covid-19 hit Europe. A year before people in masks became a staple part of our daily imagery. I did not exhibit this painting before as I felt irritated by it, it was too much, life imitates art – art imitates life?
Between March 2020 and June 2020, I painted a large scale painting depicting three soldiers and three guide dogs against a soft pink background. I was drawn to the photo of these Finnish soldiers because it seemed to me to capture a tenderness for survivors and the tragedy of lost youth, the implications of Covid-19 were unraveling all around there was lockdowns, and a looming unknown. I felt glued to the media coverage, one of the dogs in the painting has a stunned look, a manifestation of my own feelings and those around me, are eyes glued to screens as the onslaught of media updates devoured us. I had an exhibition in Ireland at the time it was closed early, I was not allowed to travel. One and half years later war breaks out, Russia invades Ukraine, Europe’s neutral countries will most likely join NATO. The soldiers take on a new significance.
”Everything is going to be ok” is a painting that depicts a somewhat deranged looking woman skating on melting ice, a storm behind her. When I was making it, I was thinking about the meaning of Finnishness, ice-skating athletes and the term ‘sisu’. I read recently that extreme ice storms might increase in Finland due to climate change, possibly causing electricity cuts for weeks. I did not know this when I made this painting but now its all I think about it when I see it – a reminder.
WOIKKA contemporary was a window gallery based in Voikkaa, Kouvola, Finland. Founded as an independent, volunteer-led initiative in June 2022 by Meri Hietala and Anniina Salo, the project grew to include collaborators Ria Andrews and Markku Metso alongside Salo.
Situated at the corner of Voikkaantie and Koulutie, the gallery occupied two street-facing windows. Despite its compact footprint, the space offered a surprising flexibility for diverse and inventive exhibitions.
WOIKKA contemporary closed in July 2024 due to administrative restructuring within the City of Kouvola. During its two-year run, the gallery hosted 20 exhibitions, featuring the work of 22 artists from Finland and abroad.
The project was initially supported by the Kymin Osakeyhtiö 100-Year Foundation, with additional funding provided by the Finnish Cultural Foundation and the Kymenlaakso Regional Fund.
For more information and a look back at our exhibitions: @woikkacontemporary on Instagram
