4.–26.4.2026

Knives are among the first tools made by humans. They interest me both as tools and as weapons. In all their uses, knives can cut, split and carve. They divide matter into smaller parts and transform it. A knife blade works better when it is as thin as possible. Yet as it approaches two-dimensionality, it also becomes more fragile. A tool meant for breaking things apart can itself break.

The knives in both works in the exhibition are made of wax. Wax is inexpensive and can be reshaped repeatedly. It has often been used as an auxiliary material in sculpture, but it has also been used to create works in their own right, such as death masks. It tolerates moisture well and is durable in certain conditions. As a material it is demanding, and attaching it with adhesives is difficult. It is also brittle and breaks easily.

In the first work I have been interested in the blurring and dissolution of the edges of objects. The knives are arranged in clusters and appear to cut into one another. They are difficult to see clearly, as the propellers create a blurred barrier between the knives and the viewer. The motors that turn the propellers react to the viewer’s movement and spin faster as the viewer moves closer to the work. From farther away the propellers’ speed slows down, but at that distance the viewer can no longer see the work clearly.

The second work, located under the staircase, consists of knives that resemble translucent shadows. They hang from red plumb lines cast into the wax. A plumb line is used in construction to determine a vertical line. As a child I imagined that a plumb line (in Finnish: a bullet string) would draw the flight path of a bullet shot from a firearm. In the work, the line passes vertically through the knives and reminds me of a blood vessel or the bloody trajectory of a bullet—one weapon leaving its trace in another.

The exhibition has been supported by the Kone Foundation and Arts Promotion Centre Finland.

Ida Palojärvi graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts, University of the Arts Helsinki with a Master of Fine Arts degree. She lives and works in Helsinki. She examines the edges and shadow areas of perception in her works. She uses spatial elements to both cover and reveal sculptural objects of gaze. She challenges the way of looking at art that is based on the viewer’s ability to observe the work without limitations. Her works are installations built in space that often deal with seeing and observing and their disruption. They involve the viewer and require time, presence and lingering. She has used elements in her works such as fruits, mountain landscapes, gold, salt or flowers that hide behind fog, distance, darkness or physical obstacles. She has held solo exhibitions at, among others, at the Turku Art Hall, HAM Gallery, Galerie Anhava and Huuto Gallery and has participated in group exhibitions, including the Mänttä Art Festival. She is a member artist and curator at Gallery Oksasenkatu 11.