Man Yau, Eetu Sihvonen 'Saline Binds'

The exhibition Saline Binds brings together works by two Helsinki-based artists, Man Yau and Eetu Sihvonen. Although both artists are exhibiting works stemming from their individual and distinct practices, presenting very different artistic expressions, they also share a similar sensibility and a strong focus on material in their storytelling.

Man Yau’s work often takes a closer look at distinct cultural contexts and examines these through her own experience as a woman and a BIPOC artist. For example, her work addresses issues like exoticisation, the patriarchal gaze and the subsequent expectations of performativity. Yau counters these processes and resulting structures of power through creating artefacts that combine cultural analysis, personal experiences and are able to stand against stereotyping. 

For Saline Binds, Yau has created a series of sculptures that become a convergence point for multiple and simultaneous cultural, social and individual identities – but also placing them in the lineage of art histories that have not been historically offered a central position. These include elements of an outfit – a cowboy hat made of glass, porcelain parts bound into a protective jacket, intricately patterned cast bronze chopine heels, and ceramic hunting elements. The items are extravagant, eclectic and performative – protective and empowering but ultimately heavy on the body of the wearer. The tension between the body and its covers is further made visible through colourful chinoiserie patterns, elements of intrusive hands and motifs of crying eyes and tears. For Yau, this carries the complexities of performativity and femme power.

Eetu Sihvonen’s work presents a strange world with a cast of peculiar characters – Bruegel-like scenes in surreal humour. Inspired by the utopia of Cockaigne, an imaginary world of ease and abundance that stood in opposition to the harshness of medieval peasant life filled with labour and scarcity. So, the world Sihvonen constructs through their artworks is not one of godly splendour or high-class luxury but rather hails from a more down-to-earth utopia, regardless of presenting elements of fantasy and wonder.

Wall pieces presented at Saline Binds add to Sihvonen’s world of oddities. Here the scenes are contained in drops of water – a single tear encompasses a whole world – held by wooden structures. The 3D printed tableaus include a delicate cast of characters, intricate patterns and architectural ornamentation, linking the works to the fantasy genre. Referencing a somewhat archaic world, the materials and techniques Sihvonen uses, are combined in a way that evokes both the past and a very contemporary mode of working – 3D printed objects stand alongside hand-carved pieces. This might make the viewer consider the role of an artisan, someone who makes with their hands and has expert knowledge – could a craftsman also mean a master of digital objects or is there a perceived hierarchy between the two? And what would a contemporary workers’ utopia look like for these tradesmen? 

At a glance, the artistic practices of Yau and Sihvonen seem very different, however, they both are invested in similar sensibilities, themes or approaches. In Saline Binds, among these, abundance, focus on narrative and experimenting with material stand out.

Abundance, however, is not aspirational in itself for either of the artists – although they both have a rich visual and material language, that richness is in service or personal and cultural expression and narrative. From the times of William Morris, the idea of masterful and exquisite (and therefore luxurious) craft has been linked to questions of social class, availability and accessibility. In their work, too, Yau and Sihvonen think through material and view it as representative of distinct representation of cultural and social markers. And this, in turn, allows them to create playful narratives around the objects they have crafted, or leave the task to the viewer, left wondering about the experiences of the characters and creatures the works evoke. In the end though, at the convergence point of everything, stands the body not unlike our own – blood, sweat, tears and all – living and soiling itself and the material around it with its salty liquids, aspiring towards unbound horizons.

Exhibition text by Keiu Krikmann

Man Yau (b. 1991) is an artist based in Helsinki. The premise of her artistic work is to explore the feeling of "being on display and under pressure," a concept she approaches from the perspective of a woman and a BIPOC artist. Yau works with sculptures and installations, often incorporating objects or situations recognizable from everyday surroundings. Her work has been previously exhibited at the Helsinki Art Museum in Finland, Boy Konsthall in Sweden, and 198 CAL in London. 

Eetu Sihvonen (b. 1994) lives and works in Helsinki. They often work with traditional materials such as wood and metal, as well as 3D printing and animation. Sihvonen merges these processes into installations and singular works, which are informed by traditional handicraft techniques, storytelling, and the world of role-playing games. Their works have been previously exhibited in the Gaa Gallery, New York, US, Community Centre, Paris, France; Holešovická Šachta, Prague, Czech Republic; and Pitted Dates, Helsinki, Finland.

The exhibition opening is supported by Pernod Ricard Estonia.

The production of the exhibition has been supported by Frame Contemporary Art Finland and The Cultural Endowment of Estonia.

Eetu Sihvonen’s work is supported by Arts Promotion Centre Finland. 

Man Yau's work is supported by the Finnish Cultural Foundation and Oskar Öflunds Stiftelse sr, and is partly produced during her residency at Fonden FABRIKKEN for Art & Design, Denmark. The artist would also like to thank the metal foundries and metalworking companies Lapinlahti Taidevalu, Tanssiva Taidevalaja and Paja & Bureau.

EST:

Näitus „Soolased kütked“ toob kokku kahe Helsingis elava kunstniku, Man Yau ja Eetu Sihvoneni teosed. Ehkki kumbki kunstnik eksponeerib oma isikliku ja eristuva loometegevuse käigus valminud teoseid ning esindab väga erinevaid kunstilisi vorme, iseloomustab nende mõlema töid tundlikkus ja keskendumine materjalile.

Esmapilgul näib Yau ja Sihvoneni looming olevat väga erinev, ometi iseloomustavad mõlemat kunstnikku tundlikkus ning sarnased teemad ja käsitlusviisid. Näitusel „Soolased kütked“ paistavad silma külluse motiiv, keskendumine narratiivile ja materjalikatsetused.

Küllus ei ole aga kummalegi kunstnikule eesmärk iseenesest: ehkki neil mõlemal on rikkalik visuaalia- ja materjalikeel, on see rikkus rakendatud isikliku ja kultuurilise eneseväljenduse ning loo edasiandmise teenistusse. Juba kunstniku ja aktivisti William Morrise tegutsemise ajast on meisterlik ja peen (ning seetõttu luksuslik) käsitöö seotud ühiskonnaklassi, kättesaadavuse ja ligipääsetavuse küsimustega. Ka Yau ja Sihvonen mõtlevad oma loomingus materjali kaudu ning näevad seda selgelt kultuuriliste ja ühiskondlike tunnuste kandjana. See võimaldab neil loodud objektide ümber kujundada mängulisi narratiive või anda see ülesanne hoopis vaatajale, kes jäetakse mõtisklema teostes esindatud tegelaste ja olendite kogemuste üle. Lõpuks aga seisab kõige koondumispunktis keha, mis oma vere, higi, pisarate ja muuga ei erine meie omast – ka see on elav ning oma soolaste vedelikega ennast ja ümbritsevat materjali määriv keha, mis püüdleb avara silmapiiri poole.

Näitusetekst: Keiu Krikmann

Man Yau (s. 1991) on Helsingis tegutsev kunstnik. Tema loomingu aluseks on eksponeerituse ja survestatuse tunne, mida ta uurib naise ja BIPOC-kunstnikuna. Yau kasutab oma skulptuurides ja installatsioonides sageli argiseid esemeid, äratuntavaid objekte või olukordi. Tema töid on varem eksponeeritud Helsingis Soome Kunstimuuseumis, Boy Konsthallis Rootsis ja 198 CAL’is Londonis. 

Eetu Sihvonen (s. 1994) on Helsingis tegutsev kunstnik. Ta kasutab sageli puitu, metalli ja digitaalsete vahendite, näiteks 3D-modelleerimise ja animatsiooni abil loodud objekte, luues neist installatsioone ja erandlikke teoseid, mis on mõjutatud traditsioonilistest käsitöötehnikatest, jutuvestmisest ja rollimängude maailmast. Tema töid on varem eksponeeritud Pariisi kogukonnakeskuses, Holešovická Šachta galeriis Prahas ja Pitted Dates’i galeriis Helsingis.

Näituse avamist toetab Pernod Ricard Estonia.
Näituse tootmist on toetanud sihtasutus Frame Contemporary Art Finland ja Eesti Kultuurkapital.
Eetu Sihvoneni loomingut toetab Soome Kunsti Edendamise Keskus. 
Man Yau loomingut toetavad Soome Kultuurifond ja Oskar Öflundsi Sihtasutus, mõned teosed on valminud residentuuriprogrammi „Fonden FABRIKKEN for Art & Design“ ajal Taanis. Kunstnik soovib tänada ka metallivalu ja metallitöötlemise ettevõtteid Lapinlahti Taidevalu, Tanssiva Taidevalaja ja Paja & Bureau.