Helsinki

Reflections (Hall 1) by Frida Moukulainen & Contingent Space (Hall 2) by Leda Vaneva

Reflections (Hall 1) by Frida Moukulainen & Contingent Space (Hall 2) by Leda Vaneva

Feb

09

Thu

12:00 – 16:00

HAA Gallery presents two exhibitions: Reflections (Hall 1) by Frida Moukulainen and Contingent Space (Hall 2) by Leda Vaneva 9 February – 4 March, 2023.
Welcome to the exhibition openings on Wednesday, February 8th 5–7 pm!

Frida Moukulainen: Reflections 

Frida Moukulainen is an artist who graduated from Kankaanpää Art School. She lives and works in Kankaanpää, Satakunta. Some of her new paintings are painted on aluminum plate and some consist of collage and drawings built on canvas and a plexiglass sheet screwed onto the canvas base, on which she paints with oil paint.  One of the elements of her latest paintings could also be the reflections caused by plexiglass and the feel of the material, which makes the trees, roots and other plant parts appearing in the subjects look as if everything happened underwater, and the reflection of the viewer’s own image would be part of the strange aquarium-like works. Materials have always interested her and she considers the base material to be an essential part of her work, be it plexiglass or aluminium. Reflections, shine, haziness and water as an element mean to her an inner landscape, sensitivity and sensations beyond the concrete world. Sometimes giving rise to questions about which of all experiences is the most true.  

Plant motifs, branches and trees are repeated in the works of the exhibition Reflections. Typically, these can be thought of as describing growth and the birth of something new. Moukulainen has been on a break from exhibitions and has been thinking about the meaning of her work and how necessary it is to work as a professional.   

“Couldn’t I just paint?   I retired from exhibition activities, but continued to paint. The Reflections exhibition is also about a process like this, self-reflection and weighing how to proceed and what is most important to me. During my break, I soon noticed that painting remains and that the creativity realized through it is innate. I don’t think you can get rid of it.  

Roots, branches and whole trees began to appear in my work, as if something wanted to come to life. I feel that the content of my works describes just rebuilding, growing stronger branches and finding something ultimate.   

The love for painting has been tested, but it never died. I found what was most important to me in the first place. Painting came first and only then did I decide to put together an exhibition of my work. I found the tracks that originally led me to become an artist.” 

Leda Vaneva: Contingent Space

Contingent Space is a series of virtual collages built up from physical parts where the viewer is guided to explore the environment through a specific route. 
Entering one of the spaces is similar to entering a dream. One can reflect upon past experiences and draw from different encounters, but they are scrambled and fragmented, and make no sense at first glance. The mind possibly creates new narratives while drifting there. It’s another layer of reality where the physical is transformed into intangible. These separate layers – the physical and the virtual – complement each other, and the self is the bridge between them. 
However, with every transformation something gets lost and the new entity is not a perfect replica of the old. Original spaces are skewed, some of their lines are bended, something got accidentally hidden from one’s sight. The guide decided to lead them through this possible path, and not the other. 
Leda Vaneva is a visual artist based in Helsinki. She explores the processes of construction in the observable world, human perceptions and their limitations. Her pieces revolve around themes like materiality, agency/control, the connection of the digital and physical realm, hybridity. She holds MA degrees in New Media (Aalto University, Helsinki) and Photography (National Academy of Art, Sofia).
Her work has been exhibited at a number of venues, such as the Bulgaria’s National gallery, the National Palace of Culture, the City gallery in Sofia, Contemporary Space in Varna, HAM Gallery, Kaapelitehdas, Lapinlahti Gallery in Helsinki, Essl Museum in Klosterneuburg/Vienna, Projektraum Galerie M/Neue Kunst Initiative in Berlin, as well as exhibition spaces in Barcelona, Eindhoven, Seoul.

Thu 09 Feb 2023 – 04 Mar 2023 12:00 – 16:00