Pirkko Nukari - Willow Warbler and Cress

Pirkko Nukari (b. 1943, Helsinki) is a sculptor best known for her bronze sculptures of birds and other animals. She became interested in birds while spending summers in Hailuoto in the 1970s. Her sculptures exhibit a sense of simplification, yet she represents birds at their natural size, and her work is grounded in scientific observation. Nukari has always been deeply interested in nature, and she even considered a career as a biologist before becoming an artist. Birds are particularly close to her heart because, in her view, the idea of a bird is more abstract than that of other animals. Depicting a bird in flight as a sculpture presents a unique challenge.