Johanna Lecklin 8. – 30.8.2009
Hitwoman
Is this the female existence? Pleasure-seeking, high-achieving, self-flagellating, letting loose.
This four-film series, shot on cine film consists of four projections titled the Hedonist, the Jumper, Beater-Beaten and Stitches. Each shows a woman engaging herself in an odd and pointless activity; hitting herself on the chin, dangling a bunch of grapes above her head without eating them, sewing her lips shut and pogoing wildly. Self-punishment, self-censorship, the denial of pleasure and the compulsion to achieve – these are all too familiar female traits. And yet they are here balanced by an ecstatic sense of freedom and all-pervading sense of humour. The video series is complemented by photographs exploring similar themes.
The impetus for the series came from the theme given to Human trace, a collective exhibition staged at the Oulu City Art Museum in 2009, curated by art historian Juha-Heikki Tihinen. The idea was to create a piece that would reference one of the collections at the museum. I selected several pieces dating back to the early decades of the 20th century. A common thread running through them is that they all show people on the go, in motion, engaged in an activity.
Johanna Lecklin
Johanna Lecklin (b. 1972) graduated from the Time and Space Department of the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts in 2003, gaining a further Masters Degree in History of Art at the University of Helsinki in 2008. She is currently pursuing further study at both universities. In 2001, Lecklin was awarded the Artists’ Association of Finland Palokärkipalkinto award.
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Beater - Beaten, 2009 |
Stiches, 2009 |
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The Hedonist, 2009 |
The Jumper, 2009 |
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Beater - Beaten, 2009 |
Stiches, 2009 |
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The Hedonist, 2009 |
The Jumper, 2009
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