MIKA KARHUProtect 26.11.2004 – 19.12.2004

We as people are defenceless without the protection of the wider community. As people we are dependent on the goals, way of thinking and human concepts determined by the community. We acknowledge our humanity in relation to the community.

Over the past half century, the concept of community has become increasingly blurred. As modern individuals, we are often part of several small, conflicting communities.

Actual dependency and the need for protection are manifested in the relationship between child and adult. A child is totally dependent on the protection afforded by its parents. Without such protection, the child is at the mercy of the environment. An adult has a similar relationship to his or her prevailing culture and community; living conditions are tangibly curtailed if an individual does not gain meaningful recognition from his or her community and environment.

Seeking protection has had a major impact on the cultures people have built. Religions, armed forces, appreciation of the arts, general culture and customs have taken their cue from the need for protection against external influences. Thus communities have always been able to assume distinctive ways of working, evaluation and convictions. However, in a global world where cultural overlaps are commonplace, protection has become more problematical.

My exhibition features large charcoal drawings and sculptures based on them. From the visual aspect, I´m interested in the tension between two- and three-dimensional images. In other words, the sculptures are either direct or allusive image fragments detached from the drawings.

Mika Karhu