Minna Jatkola 4.-26.3. 2006
Conveying experiences
Minna Jatkola's new large-size paintings at Galleria Heino are a coherent continuation of her previous output. At the core of Jatkola's works is the question of identity and how it changes in social process. The concept of identity refers to a person's cultural self and its functionality. Individuals as personas feel they somehow belong to a group and manifest certain characteristics that allow them to identify with a target group. An identity problem arises when the target group is unclearly defined or when the group's objectives clash with emotional identity.
Identity is an individual's self-concept, the relationship of "I" with the others. It is composed of all the elements that make us unique as well as of those which make us identical to others. A person's identity is two-dimensional and consists of both personal and social identities. Identity is never static.
The concepts and patterns of cultural functionality are in perpetual motion. So is identity. It is impossible to separate culture as a whole from its essence. According to Michel Foucalt, paying attention to cultural boundaries is more important than focusing on examining the identity of a culture. By this he refers to activities that help maintain the conceptions of differences and patterns between normality and abnormality.
The essence of identity is functional. It is not something external that can be identified as a unit governed by rules independent of the individual. Identity is in constant actions which are repeated wherever there are communal and institutional activities. Identity changes, regenerates and modifies its boundaries through which individuals recognise themselves as active members of the surrounding community. Identity is a social construction .
Personal identity refers to gender, age, occupation, ethnic group, nationality, hobbies and all the things important to an individual. Personal identity traits are multi-dimensional, sometimes even controversial and their manifestations becomes integrated with social identity. In this sense , personal and social identities are inextricably intertwined . Through personal preferences , personas identify with social community that constitutes their social self , social identity .
Social identity is based on everyday organisation . Individuals use their identity as a tool for social functioning. The conditions of social identity are based on everyday life and function as practices. An individuals' everyday reality is always organized as a place and time - here and now- and it is this reality that forms each individual's conscious reality. The boundaries of everyday life comprise immediate fields of activities, the world within our reach where we interact and which becomes objective through analysis.
Individuals perceive themselves through others. The basis for examining the self is the interaction between the individual and the environment. At the core of this point of view is the idea that society is composed of social groups, which are in various interactions and power relationships. An example of different social groups would be ethnic, occupational and gender groups. An individual's identity is shaped according to the groups a person belongs to and to what extent the person is committed to and able to identify with the activities, values and objectives of a group. Individuals belong to various groups, which affect the shaping of their identity. Individuality is based on the assumption that experiences shape our self-concept and determine how attuned to the world we are. Individuality springs from tensions, controversial situations between fields of activities where to survive, individuals must function in a specific way.
Our experiences remain private unless they are shared. The function of art is to convey experiences. This does not imply our experiences are conveyed as such. The scope of art is the attempt to communicate, reveal experiences through which the artist wishes to express everyday reality.
The size of the work places the individual elements in space and gives them particular power. In large-size paintings, artists can highlight details they perceive important, although at the same time they impose a set of rules and ways of examining the work of art.
"A painting portraying several elements and events is not necessarily easy to understand. I consider the process of examination as a possibility of choosing several paths. The pictures and elements telling a story in an artwork are approachable from different angles. If many vanishing points and different, separate spaces are present in a painting, they are outlined as one single entity that is not limited by specific timeframe or simultaneous events. Elements that exist in different levels of time are perceived simultaneously when they have a common theme. These events are different points of view, nuances, that often treat the contextual themes even contradictorily. I wish to contextualise and question the visible world and accept the possibility of several viewpoints that do not need to rule each other out. I think this is possible in a painting that does not imply a manner of representation based on solely photographic visual perception, a reproduction of a make-belief part of reality, but rather on how elements feel or could feel seen from several perspectives. Of course, it is a question of my conception of reality, the world surrounding me with its chaotic, fragmented elements that form my experience of the world and reality."
Mika Karhu
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Catching Beatrice, 2006 |
From the Old Church's Gardens, 2005-2006
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Three ways to wake up to a new horrible morning, 2006
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Hiding place, 2005 |
Cross-swell, 2005 |
Next morning, 2005 |
Functional trouble, 2006 |
Unknown war, 2005-2006 |
Babyfever, 2003
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Enlarge by clicking the image. Press images are available at the gallery.