Making art is largely about leaving human traces. Gestures, materials, and choices are all traces that leave their mark. Traces also endure in the long continuum of art, deriving their meaning from previous traces and their interpretations. Reflection on the theme was free as usual in the exhibition. Each creator was allowed to approach it from their own perspective and offer a maximum of six works or series of works for the exhibition. A total of 16 artists belonging to the staff of the Faculty of Arts participated in the exhibition “The Trace of a Man”. Artists Suvi Autio, Glen Coutts, Mirja Hiltunen, Maria Huhmarniemi, Milla Johansson, Timo Jokela, Anu Jormalainen, Kalle Lampela, Leila Lipiäinen, Annamari Manninen, Satu Miettinen, Ana Nuutinen, Piia Pyrstöjärvi, Antti Stöckell, and the artist duo Karoliina Laxström and Johanna Oksanen will present their works. The curator of the exhibition is Aira Huovinen, curator of the Rovaniemi Art Museum, who knows northern art well.

“Jäljet minussa”, “Traces in Me,” is a pair of photographs portraying the imprints that parents leave on their children. The inspiration for these works came from old photographs of my parents, Eeva and Pertti. I can see my father’s physique in the high cheekbones, which can be traced back to a touch of Inuit genetic heritage. This is a memory of the migration of people across the Bering Strait during the time of the ice cap. Within me, the strong genetic ties to Pohjois Savo come to life, a group that migrated from Jääski’s keep across the waterways of Saimaa to Tervasalo in Pohjois Savo, Vehmersalmi, where they settled in the 1560s. From there, the longing for travelling on water has been inherited, which led my father to the sea when he was young, and in no time, he embarked on many trips around the world. On the other hand, I have inherited my mother’s wavy hair and a touch of southwestern Finland, which is also linked to the genetic groups of Eastern Finland and Russia (Karelia and Vyborg).In addition to genetic inheritance, parents leave many traces on our mind and soul: burdens that are passed on, roots or rootlessness, things said or unsaid. Different genetic and historical stratifications in us are like traces of past times. Please see the exhibition catalogue here.

Ihmisen jälki, Faculty of Arts Staff Exhibition in Valo-Gallery, Arktikum 17.8.-8.10.2023