Coexistence, Contemporary Art Museum Kiasma´s collections new exhibition is now open. My work Landscape Machine is on show until 9.6.2019.

From Kiasma guide:  A colourful rug spins in a never-ending loop on a metal frame. The artist Pia Männikkö tells about the work: “I was studying at the Glasgow School of Arts in Scotland. I often caught the train to visit exhibitions in Edinburgh, and part of the rail line between the two cities is quite densely overgrown; there are no buffer zones around the tracks, so the train literally brushes against the vegetation as its speeds by. Travelling by train is like air travel – no matter what country or continent you’re in, the view always looks the same. The piece comments on how we all share the same experience – and how small the world ultimately is.”

The rug is pieced together from thirty patches made by the artist using the traditional Finnish rya technique. The rolling rug is based on an old trick used in cinema and theatre: the background spins while the actors stay still, creating the illusion of movement. The mechanics were invented by the artist. When planning the design, she built miniature models and tested to see how fast the rug had to spin in order for the pattern to appear blurry.

Photo by Finnish National Gallery / Pirje Mykkänen

The Coexistence exhibition opening in Contemporary Art Museum Kiasma in April 2019 looks at the relationship between humans and nature. Environmental issues, nature, and human coexistence with other organisms are topics of long-standing interest in art, but they have recently come into sharper focus amid the eco-crisis of the 2000s. My work Landscape Machine will be in the exhibition until middle of June. The whole exhibition is open 26.04.2019 – 01.03.2020.

Image from the Landscape Machine -exhibition opening in Huuto Gallery, 2016.

I have three works at TEOS, the annual sales event of Finnish sculptors and printmakers. TEOS will be held from 22 February to 3 March 2019 in Cable Factory, Helsinki. Open mon-fri 11-18, sat-sun 11-17. Free entry. Welcome!

Pia Männikkö: Sädehdin, 2017, plywood wedges, size 49 x 40 x 17 cm.

Humans, the 15th edition of contemporary textile art exhibition Miniartextil in Montrouge, Paris, opened 6th February. The exhibition is open every day from 12.00 to 19.00, until 24th February 2019. Le Beffroi – 2, Place Emile Cresp, 92129 Montrouge. Metro 4, Maries de Montrouge. Free entrance. www.ville-montrouge.fr

Pia Männikkö: Déjà Vu, 2019, in Montrouge. Hand painted ink on tulle fabrics.

ENLIGHTENMENT is a group exhibition featuring artists Anne Roininen, Pia Männikkö and Heidi Saramäki. It is based on a light art master class for professional artists that was held at Liminka Art School in June 2018. ENLIGHTENMENT is part LUX Helsinki festival programme. Muu Kaapeli Gallery, Tallberginkatu 1, Helsinki, Finland. Open: 4.-9.1. 10 am – 10 pm, 10.-11.1. 10 am – 7 pm and 12.-13.1. 12 pm – 4 pm.

Pia Männikkö: Expedition, 2019. Materials: transparent sheets, lights, wood and paper

Pia Männikkö and Páll Haukur’s joint exhibition will take place at Gallery Sculptor in Helsinki in November 2019 as the first of three nordiSKulptur exhibitions. NordiSKulptur is a collaboration between The Association of Finnish Sculptors and The Nordic Culture Point. The exhibitions will be executed with changing Nordic partners, starting with The Icelandic Sculptor’s Association in 2019.  Read the full text here (Finnish and English)

Towards the first nordiSKulptur exhibition: An interview with Páll Haukur and Pia Männikkö

My public art work Forest Sounds was opened in Angered suburb in Gothenburg, Sweden. The work in a light traffic underpass tunnel depicts sound waves and woods reflecting from water. The work consists of wall paintings and laser-cut steel plates on both sides and the ceiling of the tunnel, and a soundtrack recorded at forests and lakes. More about the work here.