Group Exhibition
The Book of the WORD
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GUEST CURATOR MICHAEL PETRY
The Spring season at Helsinki Contemporary ends with the group exhibition The Book of the WORD, that brings together 18 internationally acclaimed contemporary artists from Finland, Great Britain and North America. For many of the artists the exhibition marks a debut in Finland. With paintings, sculptures and video works from artists such as Maria Chevska, Jukka Korkeila, Liliane Lijn, Pilvi Takala and Gavin Turk, the exhibition looks into the particular area of art making that involves language. Running from June 9 trough July 2, it has been curated by Michael Petry, Texas-born artist and curator based in London for over two decades and currently the Director of MOCA London. The exhibition curated by Petry is based on a namesake book, to be published in 2018 (Thames & Hudson). He has been invited to Helsinki Contemporary as part of the gallery’s new HC Guest Curator programme (more about the progamme here).
MICHAEL PETRY: "ART MAKERS ARE THE NEW PEOPLE OF THE WORD, AND THAT WORD IS ART"
There have been claims regarding the death of the book, how words in a particular form are losing their value in commercial terms. Models of marketing words are coming into the real world of publishing be it how to sell a newspaper or read a book on an electronic device. The Book of the WORD looks at text as a form of art and asks how is it different from poetry. Can the poetic be visual art or is it merely a catchphrase? Can the artworks in the exhibition extend further from mere clickbating or copywriting?
Artists featured in the exhibition are Colin Booth (UK), Maria Chevska (UK), Nathan Coley (UK), Paul Coombs (UK), Elizabeth Croft (UK/NO), Mark Flood (USA), Lukas Göthman (SE), Nicky Hirst (UK), Joseph Imhauser (USA), Jukka Korkeila (FI), Liliane Lijn (USA), Christina Mitrentse (UK), Robert Montgomery (UK), Bryan Mulvihill (CA), Harvey Opgenorth (USA), Michael Petry (USA), Pilvi Takala (FI) and Gavin Turk (UK).
Become a Voice, 2016
marble
28 x 28 x 3 cm
Hung Around, 2001
oil paint, kaolin on canvas
31 cm x 31
Whoa, 2002
oil paint, kaolin on canvas
26 cm x 21
Flag of Dildosis, 2015
hand-stitched cotton on cotton
90 cm x 150
Takk, 2013
59,4 x 42
Det er så spennende, 2013
66 x 51,5
LOREM IPSUM DOLOR SIT AMET, 2017
cut out paper and pins
96 x 110 x 5 cm
Genesis, 2017
gif
Revealing, 2001
Vinyl transfers, gouache on turned mahogany cone, electric motor
0 x 40 x 9,5 cm
Am I Who, 2010
Poemcon. Vinyl transfers on acrylic painted turned mahogany cone, electric motor
0 x 28 x 10,8
Ice Cap Melts, 2015
hand polished silver paint on plywood with valcromat letters, copper and 12 volt LEDs
167 cm x 122
The Announcer, 2007
GAVGIUVAG/URKVIKGAV, 2011
gold leaf on paper
85,5 cm x 85,5
Civil War Battlefield, 2017
acrylic and spray paint on canvas
122 cm x 91,5
Wounded Book XII The History of England, 2015-2016
hardback
17 x 26 x 17
Wounded Book Archeology, 2015-2016
hardback
15 x 21 x 2 cm
Chung (middle / centre of four directions), 2016
ceramic glazes on porcelain
58,5 x 56
Libation to Apollo, 2017
24k gold to travertine marble
31 x 61 x 1 cm
Libation to Eros, 2017
24k gold to travertine marble
31 x 61 x 1 cm
Palace, 2017
aluminium with florescent lamp, lightbox
75 x 105 x 8
Exhibition view: The Book of the WORD
2017
Photo by Jussi Tiainen
Exhibition view: The Book of the WORD
2017
Photo by Jussi Tiainen
Exhibition view: The Book of the WORD
2017
Photo by Jussi Tiainen
Exhibition view: The Book of the WORD
2017
Photo by Jussi Tiainen
Exhibition view: The Book of the WORD
2017
Photo by Jussi Tiainen
Exhibition view: A Book of the WORD
2017
Photo by Jussi Tiainen
Exhibition view: The Book of the WORD
2017
Photo by Jussi Tiainen