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My exhibition Kätketyt (“The Hidden”) consists of ceramic sculptures whose organic forms draw inspiration from the diversity and phenomena of both untouched forests and the seabed. I often see these natural phenomena as metaphors for human emotions and states of mind: my sculptures also express feelings hidden within the human psyche. Phenomena that remain unseen and in the shadows are given form and made visible.
Nature and its vital, nearly invisible micro-world (forest fungi, bracket fungi, decomposers) are disappearing around us at an accelerating pace. As I write, I listen to the sound of a forestry machine. The moss-covered ground of the nearby forest is gone. My works express a personal longing for the rare peace of endangered, untouched nature.
My ceramic sculptures are created using hand-building, casting, and press-molding techniques. Over the past year, I have developed a new kind of glaze, which I call “lichen glaze.” This glaze has allowed me to explore a new means of expression, bringing my works closer to the world of corals, mosses, and lichens that I deeply love.
Exploring and experimenting with new materials and techniques is my passion, and the process is often a wave-like motion between elation and deep disappointment. The works in this exhibition were created between 2021 and 2023.
I live and work in Karuna. I graduated as a visual artist from the Turku Drawing School in 1997 and earned a Master of Arts degree from Winchester School of Art in 2009.
My works are included in the collections of the City of Turku, the Turku Art Museum, and the Finnish State Art Collection. This exhibition has been supported by the Finnish Cultural Foundation, Southwest Finland Regional Fund.
Umppa Niinivaara