Kari Cavén’s art is the precise and insightful archaeology of everyday life. Often consisting of objects or fragments of things, the works are Cavén’s notes on lived life, observed with sensitivity and humour. One such piece is Soliloquy, made from a telephone handset and cable, the twisted cord connecting both ends of the handset. Although the phone call may never reach anyone, the work evokes a sense of nostalgia, reminding us of slower times and moments spent talking on the phone. Pausing in the moment goes hand in hand with appreciating time.

Kari Cavén is an incomparable figure in the field of Finnish sculpture. With his uniquely multifaceted and profound approach, he has broadened the public’s experience of art. In Cavén’s works, prosaic objects are elevated beyond the everyday. Arranged within a large wooden frame, a multitude of matchboxes acquires new meaning, and the names of hotels, restaurants and other businesses on the boxes stir memories. The rhythm of catching colours on the designs builds into a regular surface.

While Cavén usually finds his way to the materials for his pieces, sometimes the materials find their way to Cavén.Ties gifted to him are straightened and laid out in elongated forms on a board, becoming ciphers for the measure of human beings. Slim and light, the shapes capture a different kind of beauty than when worn around the neck. Similar meanings are created in the piece Attempt at Money Laundering, in which the bottom of a wok is covered with a smooth layer of one-penny coins, like a rug. The warm, coppery glow of the pennies seems to give the pan a new life – with one exception: a single shiny silver ten-penny coin.

In the new works featured in this exhibition, Cavén uses musical instruments as his medium for the first time. The green bellows of an accordion no longer produces sound, but you can feel the stillness in its stretched shape, as if it were sighing with contentment: I gave joy to many. Recontextualised, retired bows have become art; instruments that once delighted listeners with their sound now stand silent. By replacing the hair on some bows with red and white twine, Cavén reveals their inner essence in his inimitable way.

The piece titled Living Here speaks volumes in a subtle manner. Cavén has replaced family names on doorplates with the words: me, you, he/she/they, us, you, them, mother.

Kari Cavén (b. 1954, Savonlinna) has represented Finland at the Venice Biennale (1995, 1990 and 1988) and the São Paulo Biennale (1987). In addition to private collections, his works are held in numerous public collections in Finland and the Nordic countries, including Moderna Museet in Stockholm, Malmö Art Museum, Gothenburg Art Museum, Saastamoinen Foundation/EMMA, Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, and HAM Helsinki Art Museum. In the summer of 2023, he had a major solo exhibition at the Aboa Vetus Ars Nova Museum in Turku. Cavén has also been commissioned to create many public works in Finland, Sweden and Norway. His recent group exhibitions include the Kuntsi Museum of Modern Art (2023) in Vaasa, the Hämeenlinna Art Museum (2022–2023), and the Busan Museum of Art (2019) in South Korea. Cavén has held solo exhibitions most recently at Galeria Cavalo in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2018), and Östfold Kunstsenter in Fredrikstad, Norway (2015). In 2014, he was awarded the Pro Finlandia Order of the Lion of Finland.