Reetta Gröhn-Soininen (s.1969)
The sculptor Reetta Gröhn-Soininen from Joensuu graduated from Turku Art School in 1993. With her figurative sculptures, Soininen examines body language – movement, emotion and non-verbal communication – using colours for emphasis. The random way in which colours run in her artworks highlights the rigour of her sculpting.
“The themes for my sculptures often include phrases, sayings, slurs – anything people may blurt out. Verbal expressions have always captivated me. Dialects, figures of speech, communication between people in general, including non-verbal gestures. As do societal themes. Playfulness and impishness have a central role.”
“Wood has felt as the most natural material for my sculptures. I believe that it serves my works of art in terms of content as well. I like the roughness of wood, the presence of the certain brutality of nature, whilst also radiating warmth.”
At the M_itä? Biennale of Contemporary Art, Reetta Gröhn-Soininen showcases her work Triumph that consists of three golden sculptures. The sculptures are exhibited on Mikkeli streetscape, in Shopping Centre Stella and in Mikkeli Art Museum. With her artwork, the artist wants to inspire ideas about today's humanity: what is heroism among ordinary people and what is a triumph for supreme, contemptuous consumerism.
The artist has received funding from the Foundation for the Advancement of Karelian Culture.
Photo: Jason Tiilikainen
Art Photo: Harri Heinonen, © Reetta Gröhn-Soininen, Kuvasto ry, Harri Heinonen ja Mikkelin taidemuseo
Triumph 1, 2021, wood, gold paint, height 260 cm, Railway station slope
Triumph 2, 2021, wood, gold paint, height 260 cm, Mikkeli Art Museum
Triumph 3, 2021, wood, gold paint, height 260 cm, Shopping Center Stella