The Association of Finnish Sculptors’ Duo Exhibition is a concept that brings together the works and practices of two association members at different stages of their careers. The fourth Duo Exhibition features artists Matti Peltokangas (b. 1952) and Emma Jääskeläinen (b. 1988), whose works share an emphasis on materiality and persistence.

Throughout his long career, Matti Peltokangas has been known for his versatile stone and bronze sculptures, particularly his numerous public artworks and grave monuments. Monumentality is also characteristic of Emma Jääskeläinen’s work, which plays with scale and often centers on the human body and its various forms.

In conversations with Peltokangas and Jääskeläinen, the word laborious comes up frequently. The works displayed in the Duo Exhibition have required time-consuming craftsmanship and a deep knowledge of the materials. Both artists—especially known for their stone sculptures—find common ground in the physicality of their practice and their material-driven approach.

Craftsmanship is evident not only in their works but also in their thinking. The works in the Duo Exhibition incorporate materials such as copper, Finnsheep wool, and even old stone steps from the iconic Stockmann department store.

While Peltokangas and Jääskeläinen each present their own works, they have drawn inspiration from each other’s working methods and thought processes throughout the exhibition’s development. This delicate and compelling collection of old and new works invites visitors to view traditional sculpting techniques with fresh eyes, through the lens of two artists from different generations.

Emma Jääskeläinen’s work has been kindly supported by Suomen Kulttuurirahasto and Arts Promotion Centre Finland. The exhibition has received state funding from the Finnish Heritage Agency for the exhibition fees of the artists.

Matti Peltokangas (born 1952, Virrat) is both a modern and traditional sculptor for whom the visible traces of the work process are essential to the form of the piece. These marks highlight how the stone of the sculpture always comes from somewhere—detached from the rock and carved into shape—just as wood is a material that has grown in a specific place. At the same time, as in traditional sculpture, it becomes clear that the creation of form is always also an effort in both time and space. The timelessness of stone and the fleeting nature of human life come together in Peltokangas’s numerous public sculptures as well as in his smaller works. His modest, monumental pieces do not proclaim themselves, but they stay in the mind and memory.

Emma Jääskeläinen (b. 1988) graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts at the University of the Arts Helsinki in 2019. The starting point for her sculptures is often the human body and the experiences stored within it. A kind of slowing down and sensitivity are important starting points for her art, which questions our prevailing society’s focus on technology, innovation, and speed. In her recent works, Jääskeläinen has explored parenthood and thereby different relationships and responsibilities towards other people, organisms and the environment.