Welcome to the opening reception on Thursday 31 August from 5–7 pm!

Initiated by the Association of Finnish Sculptors, Duo Exhibition is an exhibition concept that has already become a tradition, bringing together two sculptors in different phases of their careers. At its core are collegiality and working side by side. The artists of the third Duo Exhibition, Maaria Wirkkala and Minna Miettilä, share an intuitive, thoughtful way of approaching space, time, and material in their work.

While planning the exhibition, Minna Miettilä had an unspecified desire to work with textiles. She had acquired pieces of fabric from flea markets; perhaps someone’s unfinished sewing project, another unbegun one, leftover pieces, and odd-shaped curtains. In addition, there were also miscellaneous materials in her studio, some of which may have been part of her earlier work. She could no longer recall what was surplus and what was recycled. Then some people she is close with donated more materials, household textiles and so on. These textiles felt difficult to use with too many intimate meanings. But she used them too: for some reason it seemed the only option.

Sometimes she would sit for surprisingly long periods of time and untangle a fishing line yarn. It felt important. It was important not to try to understand it all, but just be and do what you were doing. Sometimes Maaria would call, and they’d talk. Some about art, mostly about life.

It is in the nature of Maaria Wirkkala’s work that certain elements travel from one work to another, changing their character according to time, space, and the situation. For the Duo Exhibition, Wirkkala chose to display installation entitled Särkyvää – Fragile. In her previous gallery exhibition in Finland, CHALK HOUSE (Galleria Sculptor, 1986), a gallery floor plan functioned as a list of works, which comprised the entrance hall, library, attic, and basement. Now the list of works is a shipping consignment.

The dialogue with Minna Miettilä was a mirror for Maaria Wirkkala, reflecting not only the present but also her own past. Each work is a moment in a long chain.  In this Duo Exhibition, the two artists’ paths cross – or at least run parallel for a moment.

Maaria Wirkkala creates moments and places, moving subtly between materials. Lately, her works have been exhibited mostly in Japan, Venice, and in the first edition of the Helsinki Biennial. Her most recent work, A chapel for something else was completed this June in Kunsthal 44 Møen for INTERMEZZO exhibition curated by René Block.

Minna Miettilä is a multidisciplinary artist working with sculpture, installation, text, drawing and performance, among others. She acquired her MFA from the Academy of Fine Arts Helsinki in 2020. Miettilä’s first solo exhibition Comfort Corner was held at the Exhibition Laboratory Project Room in October 2019. After that, her works have been exhibited in group exhibitions Kirjasto / Library (Forum Box, Helsinki, December 2020) and Weathering (SIC, Helsinki, June 2021).

The exhibition is supported by the Association of Finnish Sculptors’ donor funds S Vuorio Fund and the Ida and Johannes Haapasalo fund and the Arts Promotion Center Finland.