Eetu Huhtala Unfulfilled
A Chain hoist unable to lift.
A Balloon stuck between escalators.
A Bathtub that won’t fill.
The exhibition Unfulfilled revolves around feelings of frustration, ineptitude, and powerlessness. At its core is the concept of consumption, wasted energy, potential and resources, questions about the value of labor and effort, the pursuit of results, consumption and misuse of resources, failure, unfulfilled expectations, disappointment, and the lack of progress.
Huhtala’s exhibition consists of everyday objects, mechanical sculptures whose consumption of energy and resources, effort, leads nowhere. The artworks repeat a moment in a photographic manner and are stuck in the moment that is empty, possibly goal-oriented, or appropriate, but that leads nowhere. The artworks achieve nothing.
It is clear that we waste the majority of our resources, but how do we recognize the utilization and consumption of them from each other? What is the value of wealth, power and resources if we target them wrong? How can we value our work without seeing its results, and how do we value another person when we don’t see the results of their efforts?
Visual artist Eetu Huhtala (b.1993) lives and works in Helsinki. His practice involves moving mechanical sculptures, other multi-sensory pieces and large-scale metallic sculptures. Huhtala graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki in 2021 and his works have been displayed in group exhibitions in Finland and abroad. His last solo exhibition was in 2020 at the Project Room Gallery, Helsinki. Currently Huhtala is executing a permanent light artwork for Tanssin Talo (Dance House Helsinki) which opens in 2022. Huhtala’s works are hold in collections, such as the Saastamoinen Foundation.
Huhtala’s work has been supported by the Finnish Art Society, the Arts Promotion Centre Finland and the Finnish Cultural Foundation.
The artist is present at the gallery on Saturday, 4 September 2021, from 12–2 pm
Video by: Pia Männikkö