Dig it out

Dig It Out was a group exhibition held in spring 2024 at Vapaan Taiteen Tila gallery in Helsinki. At the time, I was living in the city for a semester as an exchange student at the Academy of Fine Arts.

My creative process often revolves around a connection to the spaces I inhabit. Being away from home, I tried to familiarize myself with these new surroundings by observing and engaging with their surfaces. I began collecting imprints from my shared studio flat – the sink basin, radiator, window panels – and from the academy’s studio spaces: the winding metal stairs, lamps, and the cracks in the walls of the outdoor terrace.

The exhibition took place in an underground gallery consisting of two tunnel-like corridors with no windows. My fragmented, imprinted pieces found their place tucked away in a small niche at the bottom of the stairs. The atmosphere – gathering traces of everyday surroundings and placing them below ground, illuminated by a strong projecting light – felt strangely archaeological to me…