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Oon voimissain (I will survive)
2018
Oon voimissain (I will survive) is a body of work based out of experiences with rural life, people and wilderness in remote central Finland. It draws on time spent with the Hyrynsalmi community, and considers the people’s distinct relationship with the surrounding environment.
Over a 3 month period I spent many hours in the forest and out in the community learning how to pick wild food, make traditional knives, hunt, fell trees, ride a snow mobile, learn about migratory and local animals, and the history of this unique place. The outcome manifests as three seperate but interconnected works that focus on globalisation, consumption and ideology.
Presented as a series of still life compositions, the photographs present a vibrant and old local culture at threat in an age of globalisation. The sculptural installation examines the way consumerism can distort our understanding and experience of nature. The video work explores the ideological transformation of our attitude towards nature during the modern and post-romantic period. When read together they reference time past and of humble connections, and highlight the complexities and precarious state of modern life.
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This project was supported by International Art Space through their spaced 3 project, and the Fremantle Arts Centre, through the Artist In Residence program.
Special thanks to Mustarinda in Hyrnsalmi, Finland for hosting the residency.
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Exhibition History
2018, spaced 3: north by southeast, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth
2018, spaced 3: north by southeast (tour), Art Geo, Busselton
Oon voimissain (I will survive)
2018Oon voimissain (I will survive) is a body of work based out of experiences with rural life, people and wilderness in remote central Finland. It draws on time spent with the Hyrynsalmi community, and considers the people’s distinct relationship with the surrounding environment.
Over a 3 month period I spent many hours in the forest and out in the community learning how to pick wild food, make traditional knives, hunt, fell trees, ride a snow mobile, learn about migratory and local animals, and the history of this unique place. The outcome manifests as three seperate but interconnected works that focus on globalisation, consumption and ideology.
Presented as a series of still life compositions, the photographs present a vibrant and old local culture at threat in an age of globalisation. The sculptural installation examines the way consumerism can distort our understanding and experience of nature. The video work explores the ideological transformation of our attitude towards nature during the modern and post-romantic period. When read together they reference time past and of humble connections, and highlight the complexities and precarious state of modern life.
––
This project was supported by International Art Space through their spaced 3 project, and the Fremantle Arts Centre, through the Artist In Residence program.
Special thanks to Mustarinda in Hyrnsalmi, Finland for hosting the residency.
––
Exhibition History
2018, spaced 3: north by southeast, Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth
2018, spaced 3: north by southeast (tour), Art Geo, Busselton
© Dan McCabe, 2024