Liisa Hilasvuori: At close range exhibition
Haltia showcase exhibition 19.11.2022-9.4.2023
In the showcase on the bottom floor of the Finnish Nature Center Haltia, three works by artist Liisa Hilasvuori are on display. Two sets of ceramic sculptures depict pollinating insects and larvae of Finnish butterflies. The third is a beetle enlarged into a wooden sculpture, which in nature lives on the trunk of a burnt birch.
The insects are part of our everyday life: cities are crawling with them, and sometimes they end up in people’s homes or even breed in our cupboards. At the same time, they are unnoticeable, small, and hidden from our eyes. By enlarging their small scale, the hidden becomes visible. When making the sculptures, the artist have taken a close look and marvelled at what she has seen. By depicting the insects in large scale, as artworks, the artist have wanted to make them equal with people.
Insects are an essential part of the network of life, and many of them are becoming endangered as their habitats are getting smaller. This can take place unexpectedly and without the general public even noticing.
Liisa Hilasvuori is a visual artist from Helsinki, whose works include spatial works, ceramics and wood sculptures, and community art. In several of hier works, she describes time, insects and birds visible in nature or in structures once made by man.
Liisa Hilasvuori’s artworks:
Team of losers, glazed ceramics, 8 parts, 2020–2022
Small wonders, glazed ceramics and wood, 2022
Yksi hiljaisista (One of the silent ones), wood, 2022
“I have made most of the works in 2022, and created the wooden sculpture particularly for this exhibition. The sculpture series Häviäjien joukkue (Team of losers) depicts the faces of pollinators. People tend to interpret facial features as expressions. Pollinators look wild, and their big eyes are always open. They see the world in a different way from us. The piece Pienet ihmeet (Small wonders) depicts the larvae of Finnish butterfly species at one stage of their development. Clay is a perfect material for moulding the plump, wrinkled surface texture of caterpillars. I have constructed the sculptures by hand, bisque-fired them first in a kiln, painted the glazing on and fired them again in approximately 1100 degrees. The wooden piece depicts the Scarce Fungus Weevil (Platyrhinus resinosus), a beetle whose colouring is related to its habitat of burnt birch. I have created the colour for my sculpture by charring it.”
At close range exhibition at Haltia until 9.4.2023.
The artwork are for sale, for more information and prices, please contact: liisa.hilasvuori(at)gmail.com
Come and see!
Entry is included in the price of Haltia’s exhibition ticket. Don’t forget that you can visit all exhibitions at Haltia free of charge if you have a Museum Card! Read more about the Museum Card
Artist Liisa Hilasvuori
Liisa Hilasvuori have worked as a visual artist for approximately 12 years, creating installations, sculptures made of ceramics and wood, performances based on her writings, and engaged in community art as a part of an artists’ collective. She is interested in the perception of space and a detailed creation of form. With her work, she often try to capture time that is visible in nature. It is not tied to the human understanding of time, but rather manifests itself as metamorphoses and interconnections between different organisms.