Saara Reinikainen: From The Toilet To The Huuhanmäki Observatory

The events in Saara Reinikainen’s drawings are not realistic, yet when viewing the works they feel like authentic moments. The insightful and humorous content of the pieces originates from everyday surroundings and ordinary situations. Reinikainen seeks a certain kind of narrative or experience in her works, though they can be interpreted in many different ways. The titles of the works, as well as the title of the exhibition, play a significant role alongside the content of the drawings. The exhibition title refers to the forest of Huuhanmäki in Kuopio, near the artist’s childhood home. First, you would go to the bathroom before heading outside to play.

Reinikainen draws her ideas from events and objects in everyday life. She approaches everyday life with a sense of playfulness and finds it fascinating because of its versatility and ordinaryness. There is always something to wonder about, both new and familiar objects. The drawings depict situations in which something has happened or is about to happen. The content of the place or situation encountered daily becomes more telling when they are transferred to a limited piece of paper and finally displayed in a gallery. Reinikainen encourages us to look at everyday life with new eyes and experience it with curiosity instead of routine. When we are aware of our surroundings, we can notice what interesting things are there or what is missing.

Saara Reinikainen (b. 1993, Kuopio) lives and works in Lappeenranta. She is currently working on a multi-year grant from the Finnish Cultural Foundation’s M.S. Elomaa Fund. Reinikainen works with a fineliner and pencil on paper and uses photographs she has taken herself when coming up with ideas and sketching her works, without trying to copy them. Reinikainen has served as a deputy member of the board of the South Karelian Artists’ Association and is currently the board secretary.

The exhibition has been supported by the Finnish Cultural Foundation.

Meet the artist: Sunday 12 July 15-17