Jenni Toikka: Preludi Op. 28 No. 2

Prelude Op. 28 No. 2 is a film work named after Chopin’s well-known composition. During a single long shot, we see two people taking turns playing the piano and listening alternately. The piece is the same on both times – Preludi Op. 28 No. 2 by Chopin – but when the performer changes, the interpretation of the song changes along with the perspective from which the song and its performance are viewed.

The uninterrupted playing and single shot capture the event in one temporal moment, but as the camera moves and the two people switch places, time is equally layered. The performer becomes the listener, and the listener becomes the performer. In one of the key scenes of Ingmar Bergman’s Autumn Sonata (1978), the mother and daughter take turns playing the very same Prelude by Chopin. It is a piece that both are familiar with, so they can settle into the position of the other as they listen and watch the other play. A situation like this raises questions about the sense of reciprocity, simultaneity, and synesthesia. Could the roles become mixed from viewer and listener to the object of the gaze and listening? When watching the other playing, can you feel your own hands and fingers on the keys?

Jenni Toikka (b. 1983) is a Helsinki-based visual artist who graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts (FI) in 2012. Toikka has had several solo and group exhibitions in Finland and abroad, and her works have been shown at international film festivals. Her work is represented by different public collections such as the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma and the Saastamoinen Foundation. Alongside her own artistic work, Toikka has also worked in many artistic ensembles. She is one of the founding members and curators of Monitoimitila O., and has worked for several years as an artist duo with visual artist Eeva-Riitta Eerola.

The exhibition is supported by the Finnish Heritage Agency.

The artist’s work is supported by the Arts Promotion Centre Finland and Finnish Cultural Foundation. The film is funded by AVEK and Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma.