Heli Ryhänen - Slow Motion

*Our favorite*

”I’m drawn to the idea that an artwork comes to life when it is brought into the exhibition space. When I visit the storage, I see the big old fellow lying stretched out on a shelf. A bit awkwardly on his side, as if taking a nap.I wanted to bring him back out, happily swinging again among the audience.”

- Kaija, Project Manager / ArtHop

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In sculpture, the tradition has long favored hard materials such as stone, bronze, or wood. Using textiles and leather as sculptural materials is relatively new. In Heli Ryhänen’s (b. 1971, Iisalmi) work Slow Motion, an almost three-meter-tall nude figure made of faux leather gently swings in a suspended swing. Life may already be in its later stages; there is time to pause and adopt the role of an observer. As the figure swings, the mind calms.

Ryhänen’s works typically depict the human figure and the passage of time. The figures in her sculptures bear traces of lived life and could perhaps be described as “beautifully imperfect” human forms. Ryhänen discovered soft materials - fabrics and fillings - already during her studies. “In making art, I rely on both reason and emotion. I trust that the idea in my head will eventually take concrete form. All it takes is time, a few centimeters of weld, meters of fabric, kilometers of thread, and kilos of stuffing,” the artist explains about her practice.