ART EXHIBITIONS

At the Chicory Museum the art exhibitions featuring students of Pentti Kaskipuro continues.

Finnish graphic artists exhibit their work during the summer months in the old steam cellar. In july 2008 we could enjoy the art of Hannu Hyrske and next year it's time to once again welcome Esa Riippa. Welcome, free entry!

2009 || ESA RIIPPA

This summer you should visit at the Chicory Museum! In July we have graphic Esa Riippa's work at the museum. This is Esa's 30th year as a freelancer artist, and he has done over 500 graphic pieces.

"It is so interesting, so interesting", says the Chicory Museums July artist Esa Riippa in Kälviä in May, when asked what keeps him motivated. "It would be too easy if you could answer the question, where the ideas come from. The more you do the more art pieces you will develop. On the other hand, also the expertise creates them. Usually the idea comes from a visual topic. For example from a moving train you can catch a glimpse of a view, light or some effect. And if the impression is strong enough, you won't forget it. But it can be a long process before you know how the idea can be technically done. You could almost say that some things have taken me 60 years to figure out!"

The circle closes

Esa Riippa's exhibition ends the nine year period, which have offered different exhibitions of Master K's i.e. Pentti Kaskipuros students Esa Riippa, Elina Luukkanen, Inari Krohn, Outi Heiskanen, Mirja Airas, Marjatta Hanhijoki, Kaija-Riitta Iivonen and Hannu Hyrske. Esa brings to the exhibition his graphic from the last 10 years. An interesting addition is the Cara Verla-serie, made in association with Factorymuseum Verla's Eero Niinikoski.

Exhibition archive

2008 || HANNU HYRSKE

"It's fun to be able to jump from job to job when you are stuck somewhere," says the Chicory Museums july artist Hannu Hyrske in his studio in Järvenpää in May. "I am perhaps best known as a graphics artist, though painting has always been in the picture". Hannu Hyrske, who originally is a trained photographer, also likes to make sculptures.

"I'll take with me, mainly oil and tempera works, but also graphics. My graphics works often represents something. In my paintings I start with constellations, but when the work progresses, they may become quite abstract. In my paintings there's always with brush or chalk drawn lines that give rhythm to my work. "Hannus favourite materials when sculpting are wood, stone and clay.

"It was clear to me ever since childhood that I would become an artist. After I was a graduated photographer from the graphical program, I photographed for Friitala and Marimekko. Photography, has never been the main plan." In addition to his art Hannu has worked as a teacher and held courses in Pekka Halonen's studio and at Vantaa vuxeninstitut.

At the Chicory museums steam room exhibitions have for 9 years been devoted to exhibit the artwork of Master K's i.e. Pentti Kaskipuro's, students. Hannu studied graphics under Penttis leadership in the 1970s at art college. "We still have good contact with each other. I appreciate Penttis intense devotion to his work, his extreme precision and artistic education. "

2007 || KAIJA-RIITTA IIVONEN

What is this? That is something that many visitors may think, when they visit the exhibition at the Chicory Museum in July. Visitors can surely expect an interesting tour of sculptor Kaija-Riitta Iivonen's art.

"I can use any material, everything is good enough for me," says Kaija-Riitta Iivonen in her studio in Porvoo art gallery in mid-april.

When one walks around in the studio one is met by her work: portraits in clay, small figures, angels, a painting of Porvoo seen from the river side with a bird plank of wood in the foreground and much, much more. Some characters are sitting in a charming hot-air balloons of clay. "You can find one of those in the Parliament House too!"

A beautiful piece is also a blue angelpainting called Jacob's dream. Kaija-Riitta has used a technique in which she painted her angels on a ladder on the back of the glass. To paint on the back of the glass is surprisingly difficult, says Kaija-Riitta. Her angels of clay is captivating and expressive. "I made angels in clay already in the 1970s before the "angel boom" started. Angels interests me. They account for goodness and are found in many religions.

Kaija-Riitta, as well as the other artists during the month of July the previous summers, are former students of graphic artist Pentti Kaskipuro. Kaija-Riitta's art is exhibited in Kiasma, Ateneum and in art museums in Oulu and Kajaani. "Pietarsaari is new to me, so I will be happy to come to the Chicory Museum!"

2006 || MARJATTA HANHIJOKI

Few artists do only one kind of art, for example, graphics. Yet, rarely is an artist as versatile as Marjatta Hanhijoki - this year's july artist at the Chicory Museum. Best known, she is perhaps as a graphic artists, but she's also recognized as a watercolourist, portrait painter and ink artist.

Marjatta graduated from the University of Art and Design in 1971. Since then, she has frequently held and participated in exhibitions both at home and abroad, served as an exhibition curator, held jury assignments and other commisions of trust within the industry, been an art teacher, has become award-winning - and also been a productive artist.

"During the time I was in secondary school, I worked as a janitor at Ateneum, and I thought that here I would also like to display my work", Marjatta remembers. She had a art interested mother and through her Marjatta always had access to drawing materials at home. At a young age she was also devoted to dance and song, but art won. This went in succession to her son, but he chose to study sculpting.

“Grafik är kanske mera en vintersak, just nu känner jag mest för att måla akvarell. På beställning målar jag också porträtt, oftast i olja”, belyser Marjatta sitt val mellan olika metoder. Och tecknar gör hon när det känns som rätt teknikval. "Graphics is perhaps more a winter thing. Right now, I feel that I mostly want to do watercolourspaintings. If commissioned, I also paint portraits, mostly in oil". She draws when she feels that that is the right choice of technique.

2005 || MIRJA AIRAS

The July exhibitions continues with Master K's, graphics artist Pentti Kaskipuros, students' art exhibitions.

As our guest exhibitor this year is Mirja Airas from Hämeenkyrö. She is now concentrating on coal drawings and watercolours. Airas studied at the Finnish Fine Arts in the 60's, after which she continued her studies under Pentti Kaskipuro.

She is also a performace-artist and perform with the group "Record Singers", which was established already in 1973.

2004 || OUTI HEISKANEN

For many, graphics artist Outi Heiskanen is familiar from newspaper photos. People who visit the Chicory Museum in July can also get acquainted with her art. Around 30 of the artworks till be displayed in the steam cellar of the Chicory Museum - with a glint of humor as the common denominator.

During her 30-year artistic career Outi Heiskanen has been the subject of much publicity. "I have already received many stamps on me and learned that this profession isn't exactly the world's easiest. For me, however, it is a fate that I am happy about. "

"It's a wonderful surprise when the so-called ordinary people say they get something of my jobs, and that these images on the other hand, are accepted as a modern art", says Outi in her art studio in Helsinki in early June. "Even as a 2-year-old, I drew pictures for my father who was in the war." "My mother was horrified at first, when she saw what I was about to become. As a practical woman she adapted to the idea and planned that I would be drawing teacher, which is something I've also worked as."

"I like wood, clay, bronze and stone. I have been practicing to cut stone. As a stone-cutter, I work in a fairly random manner, as to see, what's in there". "When I feel like it - I draw. I put the pin to the plate and at best, I know where I will begin. Almost all images are abstract in the beginning but eventually the lines find their form and become something alive - animals or humans. After the first test trial the real work begins."

"Every year I make a couple of series that fills the demands placed on graphics works and with the help of which I finance my experiments, installations and performances," Outi says and notes that many also think it is a performance, when she sometimes slumbers for a while. "It has nothing to do with performance, I simply suffer from sleeping sickness."

2003 || PENTTI KASKIPURO

The Chicory Museum's July artist, Professor Pentti Kaskipuro, is familiar with chicory. "I remember chicory rods from my childhood and from the 1950s when I was working as a decorator for Kahvi Oy in Helsinki."

During his over more than 50 year old career, the artist Pentti Kaskipuro has done about 550 graphics works. "I make small, black images of small objects. The main color in my work is black in different shades," says Pentti in his studio in Korso at the beginning of July.

"I often use an engraving needle with a diamond- or steel tip. With the tool I draw the picture I want on a copper plate." Akvatinter is another technique he uses.

"My head teem of all sorts of mental images. Then I may see something that relates to my mental picture. When the visual and mental picture corresponds an idea is born. Sometimes something takes years to finish, but generally just weeks."

Pentti has all his life had poor eyesight. "When I was young it bothered me quite a lot and I asked myself whether or not it still would be worth to start with graphics." But the blood won. "So far, I have undergone 10 eye operations and at the moment, I have only 20 % of my vision."

When I turned 60 years I received the title of professor thanks to my former students and colleagues. I had good pupils: Elina Luukanen, Esa Riippa, Outi Heiskanen, Marjatta Nuoreva, Marjatta Hanhijoki and many others, which I still keep in contact with, "says Pentti.

2002 || INARI KROHN

In July, all friends of graphics works can enjoy a representative sample of Inari Krohn's art at the Chicory Museum. Inaris exhibition in the museum's steam cellar includes about 30 artworks. Her motives are retrieved from nature and different cultures. Blue is her favourite colour.

"I have travelled around in Japan and become acquainted with the country's thousand-year-old paper-making and wood cut traditions." "Wood cuts are painterly, and I also tend to frequently use watercolour wood cuts as backgrounds in my graphics works. Apart from the countries and cultures in the Far East, Inari gets inspiration from European culture, with Italy and France as her favorite countries. "In Italy, the landscape is good for the soul, it offers light, colour and beauty!"

Some of Inaris of art are made on paper, which she herself has made with traditional methods. In order to provide extra color and spice, she can add petals from a wilted azalea in the studio.

As a 14-year-old Inari knew that it was a artist she was going to become. The family's artistic traditions certainly had a part in the choice of career, but the decision was her own. As a first step on the way she went to art school - the current Academy of Fine Arts.

"There I studied painting and also a year of graphics. At first I mostly did painting and graphics only on the side. Both arts are wonderful! Now, however, I mainly make graphics. With this method one can make images, that in a way, contain several layers, lines and blackness that no other method provide the opportunity for", Inari says to explain her fascination. She has now 35 years of experience.

2001 || ELINA LUUKANEN

The year's July art exhibition opened a the Chicory Museum. The artist is Elina Luukanen, who this year celebrates her 60th birthday. During her 30 years as an artist, she has created around 380 works, of which about 30 can be found at the exhibition. "I do not even know from where I get my motifs. When I feel I want to make a picture of something, I do it, " says Elina in early June in her studio in Helsinki.

Elina's works are characterised by different shades of brown and blue ultramarine. The names of the artworks are short and depict well an image's theme and mood: Hemma, Huller om buller, I tio mäns hus, Brevet, Bakdörren, Äntligen på tumanhand, Fars stol. The exhibition at the Chicory Museum also includes foreign moods, including a number of jobs with motifs from Venice.

As the daughter of an artist Elina "absolutely did not want to become a picture maker" and was aiming for the architect profession. But it was in her genes. "After a couple years of architectural studies, I went to my parents in Vaasa and became my mother's apprentice. I realized that this was my thing, my expression. I mastered this way of thinking, " Elina depicts the moment of insight for almost 30 years ago.

Elina was born in Helsinki, but spent her childhood and youth in Vaasa. "My grandmother was Pietarsaari's first female student. At that time, there was no secondary school in Pietarsaari, but she studied at the Brobergska school in Helsinki and got her matriculation exam from there. Her father was director of the deaf school in Pietarsaari."

The fact that she now exhibits at the Chicory Museum, we can thank Esa and Elina Riippa for. Esa - who also is one of Finland's leading graphic artists - held his exhibition at the museum for a couple of years ago. Esa's then given promise to recommend the Chicory Museum as a atmospheric exhibition place has now borne fruit.

During her ongoing Jubilee Year Elina has had exhibitions all over Finland: the Tikanoja Art Museum in Vaasa, at the Central Finland's Museum in Jyväskylä, at Hämeenlinna Art Museum, at the Amos Anderson Art Museum in Helsinki and at Kouvola Art Museum. This summer may also those who visit Valamo and Retretti get acquainted with her graphics art. This autumn one can see a selection of Elina's older works at the K.H. Renlund's Museum in Kokkola.

2000 || The city's hidden treasures

The July exhibition presents the city's art under the title "The city's hidden treasures."

The art exhibition "The city's hidden treasures" was organized in cooperation with the Pietarsaari City Museum. "When we in the Chicory committee discussed the outline for this year's exhibition, we came to the conclusion that it's "unnecessary to go over the river after water" and decided to go to the City Museum with a proposal of cooperation," the chairman of the Committee Reino Lammi says. The selection of paintings from the city's collections has been carried out by Kristina Lundström-Björk and Maria Nylund from the Pietarsaari City Museum. The exhibition includes a couple of dozen works of Eero Nelimarkka, Karin Sidorow, Maja Arvonen, MF Myllymäki and Erik Knif.

The paintings will be exhibited in the Chicory Museum's steam cellar, where the lights recently have been renewed so that each individual works can be highlighted in the best possible way. "The idea was raised last summer when we showed works by Esa Riippa, belonging to Finland's leading graphic artists. Because of the poor lighting in the steam cellar, the light did not do his art justice, "says Pietarsaari's Factories's photographer Pertti Puranen, who was responsible for the procurement of the new lighting system.

Other measures have also been taken to make the steam chamber better suited for exhibition purposes, e.g. in security. The door opening and the windows have been provided with protective grates and a passage control systems and fire alarms have been installed. "Our goal is to make the steam cellar a place where artists would like to exhibit their work," says Pertti.

1999 || ESA RIIPPA

The Chicory Museum's summer exhibition in July displays a couple of dozen works of graphics artist Esa Riippa from Kälviä. Esa Riippa is one of Finland's leading contemporary graphic artist. His works have been displayed at a large number of exhibitions across Europe and his art is also well represented in various domestic and foreign art collections.

The exhibition at the Chicory Museum was opened on July 1. It represents a continuation of the cooperation between Walki Wisa Pietarsaari and Esa Riippa, whose prints "Mirroring" in February was printed on the factory's new 8-colour flexo printing machine. The mill wanted to show the high-pressure machine's capabilities and concluded that this could best be done through printing of top class graphics works. According to both parties the printing went well and the "Mirroring" is one of the works that now are being displayed at the Chicory Museum.

"Usually I produce my photos with a deep pressing method, even if some of my posters have been printed in offset. The images are created by lines or lines and shade surfaces. For flexo press, I draw a separate film for each printed color and determine the colour nuances directly from the colour map. The original isn't ready until all the colors are printed", says Esa Riippa, who at the beginning of August compromised his existence as a "free artist" and becomes a graphics teacher at the Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki.