4 April — 5 May

Noora Schroderus’s second solo exhibition at Galerie Anhava is titled M.O. (Modus Operandi). The Latin term refers to a person’s typical way of functioning, and is often used in the context of criminal investigations. Noora Schroderus’s modus operandi is to examine humanity by manipulating materials and meanings, often with a dash of self-irony thrown in. Alongside scale and form, words and rules tend to stretch in unexpected directions in her work. Composed from letters made of brass, plastic, chalk and other materials, the overarching theme of the exhibition asks: What’s in the box? What lies behind words? Why is it so?

The new sculptures move from bare conceptualism towards insightful materiality and sharp humour. Schroderus examines power and gender, questions authorities and looks upon rules with reservation. Such seeds of doubt were sown in her already in primary school, when the pupils were told with absurd severity not to eat crispbread for dessert; her work School Memory is based on that injunction. Although such an exhortation may seem harmless to an adult, it nevertheless illustrates the limited agency children have to resist the seemingly arbitrary rules imposed by adults. Today, similar feelings of frustration are aroused by bureaucracy, social media and empty talk.