18.10. — 10.11.2024

Usually the aim of a sermon is to evoke thoughts and feelings about the texts of the Bible and to comment on the prevailing situation of the community. The approach is similar to works of art: both comment on the prevailing time and its phenomena. In the Sermon series, my starting point has been a critical examination of people and their actions in relation to each other, to the surrounding world, and its objects. At Forum Box on view will be two most recent parts of the series, Sermon II and Sermon III.

Sermon II is a fable dressed in the form of a video installation. A fable is often an animal tale in which animals or plants are given human characteristics. In my work, the narrator is a skinless pig, who directs its song to the viewer. Visible is just flesh and bones. The character is a reminder and a sum, which also refers to the figure of the guardian in the esoteric tradition. In the figure of the guardian, the seeker faces their own fears. In my work, the figure takes the form of collective karma: a pig that is stripped of its skin. The pig urges listeners to realize a characteristic of the human species: the possibility of making moral judgments. This is a unique human characteristic and an opportunity improve the living conditions of all living beings.

The pig has been close to humans through domestication and the meat industry that developed from it. Our physical encounters with the species in living form are rare these days. Outside the meat industry, we mainly encounter the animal on farm tours and on the shelves of grocery stores. However, the pig is abundantly represented in various cultural representations and images. Folklore, language images and various audiovisual means of expression have created cultural and place-related meanings on the subject. The aspirations of my work are based on posthumanist thought, where the life and being of all species are inherently valuable, and we as humans should recognize and acknowledge it.

The production of the works, my work and the rationalization of the exhibition have been supported by the Finnish Cultural Foundation, the Center for the Promotion of Art, AVEK and the Olga and Vilho Linnamo Foundation.

Juhana Moisander (b. 1977) lives and works in Karkkila. Moisander studied Fine Arts at the Tampere University of Applied Sciences and obtained a master’s degree in Fine Arts from the University of Fine Arts (Helsinki). His works are often dark-toned media works in terms of themes and color schemes. His focus is on fitting the video, sound and physical elements into a complete whole within the architecture of the exhibition space. The themes and contents of the works stem from art history and literature as well as human aspirations. His works are are included in both Finnish and abroad art collections, and Moisander has also created several public works of art.