Juhani Harri - Seven Ships for the Deceased

*Our favorite*

"The rust and cracked wooden surfaces of the weaving shuttles create a melancholy atmosphere around the work, capturing my attention whenever I am near it. It is a silent memento mori - a reminder that nothing is eternal, yet this simple and stark arrangement makes the beginning of the shuttles' end appear beautiful. As a conservator-to-be, I find the piece deeply moving, for it was never intended to last forever; we are allowed to admire it only for this fleeting moment, until it is time to yield to the passage of time."

-Jasmin, conservator

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Juhani Harri (b. 1939 Vaasa, d. 2003 Helsinki) is known for his collages and assemblages of objects. Harri was one of the first visual artists to treat objects as an independent form of expression, before the concept became more widely adopted. 

Harri is often described as a mystic and a surrealist, favoring used and discarded objects in his art. His works do not proclaim, but rather tell a story, convey an experience, and communicate the emotions embedded within them.