Set to open on November 8, 2012 at the Met Museum’s Tall Galleries, Contemporary Lithography from Finland is a debut exposition of Finnish printmakers in Manila. It comprises thirty three works by some of the most active lithographers from the Nordic country.
The participating artists –Maija Albrecht, Kalle Berg, Matti Hintikka, Valpuri Kylmänen, Kuuuti Lavonen, Tapani Mikkonen, Kaisu Sirviö, and Miikka Vaskola have selected representative samples of their production. Most were made in the atelier in Helsinki where the eight artists work together. Some prints were produced especially for this exhibition. They also thoughtfully included older works, providing insights into the development over time of each artist’s personal approaches or and techniques, materials and vision.
The exhibition is a rich source of study in contrast, in offering various lithographic challenges, and in presenting the vision of a particular intellectual and geographic landscape. One of the artists, Matti Hintikka, who is partial to porous limestone as his material, asserts: “My work springs from nature…both mentally and concretely. Experiences of nature take on a primal form in the minds of the people of the North. Even simple surfaces, shapes and colours can start up a dialogue in my mind, and hopefully in the minds of the people viewing my work.”
Kalle Berg, who studied lithography in New Mexico and has been teaching the subject in Helsinki since 2005, correlates the methodical process of print with the resulting form. “…I see myself as belonging to a generation that has taken on the endless task of learning to live at the contradictory (and somewhat imaginary) meeting point between traditional artisan work and everyday digital imagery. …Sometimes a technical question that preoccupies me leads to an artwork. At other times it might be some banality of printmaking practice that prompts the idea.” To him, the final product is usually as foreign as from that of the eyes of the viewer, a curious experience that is similar to standing beside oneself.
The Metropolitan Museum of Manila has lined up activities for the exhibition. First up is a printmaking demonstration by Kaisu Sirviö and Matti Hintikka in cooperation with the Printmakers Association of the Philippines. They will highlight their personal techniques in using different kinds of drawing materials on a stone, with emphasis on the method of ink tint and wash. In addition, the artists will be showing proofs of their works direct from Finland.
As part of the opening reception to the exhibit, the visiting artists together with Finnish art critic Olli Romppanen will deliver a talk and lecture, concentrating on the history of Finnish printmaking. Their talk will also contextualize the exhibit and its participating works within the wider spectrum of Finnish contemporary art. Furthermore, they will share their experiences, insights and images culled from the Helsinki lithography workshop.
Finally, the Museum, in cooperation again with the Printmakers Association of the Philippines will hold a basic printmaking workshop for children on November 20. This is a half-day session, which will be held in the PAP workshop at the CCP complex.
Contemporary Lithography from Finland will run until December 10, 2012. For details and reservation to the events, please call the Marketing Officer at 708-7829 or email marketing@metmuseum.ph. The Museum is located at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Complex, Roxas Boulevard, Manila. Museum hours are from 9am – 6pm, Monday to Saturday; closed on Sundays and first Mondays of the month and on holidays. For more information, visit www.metmuseum.ph. Follow us in facebook: metmuseum.manila
