Happy Birthday B-galleria

"So all the artists are your friends?"
"... and you say it like it's a bad thing?"

B-galleria is a non-profit art gallery located in Turku, Finland (population 176 242). It's run by a group of young local volunteers: artists, designers, art and art history students and other people who are interested in being involved in creating happenings, art shows, music shows - instead of just whining and pining for a better, richer "cultural life". I've been involved in B activities since the second show held in February 2005 and today is the celebration of the gallery's 5th birthday.

Miércoles, originally uploaded by Suunnitelma B.

These guys in the pic are Irana Douer and Hernan Paganini, from Argentina, who put up a show in the back room of B-galleria this week as they were touring Europe and passing through Finland. I couldn't attend in person but I hope to meet them soon as they are visiting Berlin.

I've known Irana and her work through the internet since the early 2000s. Now she came all the way from Argentina and was in my home town! Maybe that's normal now, sure, but I can't help feeling amused. A bit unsettled too, to realize how I'm pleased with internetassisted globalization for bringing all these cool people into my life. My best memories of B have to do with putting up small happenings and shows with friends, like the Plastic Bag Happening last summer with Jason Rosenberg and Emily Ryan. The ability to share time and make something happen, in the privacy of your own home town, but extending towards other corners of the world via the internet. Of course running a gallery is a lot of work and the way we run it at B is often bordering on chaotic and disorganized, but I feel it's all worth it. This wave of _____ when you are turning the key to the gallery to step in. That there is this space. And we've held a show here every month for the last 5 years. It's amazing.

Some people -quite often middle aged men-, had a hard time understanding why I spent so much time with the gallery and I've had some confused and ultimately tiring conversations over the issue.

- So let me get this straight.. you don't get any money from it?

-No, I just do it because I like it.

- So like... a hobby?

- Yeah you could say it's a hobby.

- (pause) Well, I play basketball and I know why I play basketball- I play basketball because it keeps me fit. But what do you gain from having these shows, I have no idea.

Well. Sometimes it's hard to give answers for other people straight away.

I'd want to put up all the names of the cool people who I've met through B / who have helped in creating things there / driven a screw to the wall etcetera but too many to mention and forget.

So happy birthday B-family! Stay small, expand!

Magic Crystals

"Everyone dozes off when you say Mp3... we should just start calling mp3s Magic Crystals"

Karl Blau yesterday at Schokoladen.

B-home in Berlin

It's been almost a year from Grey Melange, the last B-home exhibition by me and Antti Hiljá. Tonight it's happening in Berlin!

Starting at 7 p.m. Friesenstraße 6 (nearest U-bahn stop: Gneisenausstraße)

Come around!
BYOB

Facebook event here.

ie

Some more pictures of my work for the ie exhibiton with Ida Lehtonen. Photos by Olli Laamanen.

Retreat drawings / Golden Age

Some drawings I made with Jaakko Pallasvuo will be exhibited this month in the Medium Rare group show at Golden Age, Chicago. The exhibition is curated by Medium Rare publisher Milano Chow.

The show is open from October 17th to November 17th. Please stop by if you are in the Chicago area. Info on Golden age blog.

Artists:

Anna Peaker
Brock Potucek
Elina Minn
Emily Ryan
Eric Marth
Jaakko Pallasvuo
Jason Rosenberg
Jessica Williams
Lucas Soi
Megan Plunkett
Michi Turner
Pia Howell
Tara Sinn

Plastic bags are happening in Turku

Two artists whose work I've been loving in the internet for a long time are visiting Finland next week. Good times!

They are:
Jason Rosenberg www.jason-rosenberg.net/
Emily Ryan www.emily-ryan.nu

I'm looking forward to Jason's plastic Bag Happening that he's putting up in B-galleria on Monday 22nd. The happening is a celebration of the colors, ideas and textures of plastic bags. There's also a small expo of Emily's whimsical drawings. Please come and join us if you are in Turku!

Here's the info:

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PLASTIC BAG HAPPENING is a plastic bag exchange, in which you are
invited to come with a plastic bag and leave with a different one. The
time in between these two actions has many possibilities also.

PLASTIC BAG HAPPENING is also an exhibition, which celebrates plastic
bags from around the world, so bring one in, and participate in the
exchange and cross-pollination of textures, colors, and ideas.

Show us your favorite plastic bag! Or trade it in for a new one! Or
purchase a plastic bag creation! Or just come in and look around!

It is only a one day affair this time, so please come say hello!

MONDAY, JUNE 22 2009
2–8 PM (KLo 14-18)
B-GALLERIA / B-BUTIK
ANINKAISTENKATU 5 L 5
20100 TURKU
FINLAND

Grey Melange

In short:
Grey Melange is a B-home exhibition I made with graphic designer Antti Hiljá. The exhibition centered around the color and texture of melange gray. It was held in my late grandmother's home where I was a passing resident this spring. The exhibition lasted for one night. There were 14 physical guests. I moved away the day after the exhibition.

The idea for the exhibition was initiated one weekend in April while making mac and cheese with my friend Antti. He asked me what my favorite color was and we started talking about melange grey. It turned out we both had an intensive relationship with that casual color and decided to make something out of it together. We planned the show during two weeks, made the images and took off one day to realize it.

Some things that interested me on the theme / this project:
- the possibility of collaborating with Antti on a theme we both instantly linked with
- the ambivalence of the color and space combo
- making room and time for something and then doing something in that space you have made
- realizing a show in one day
- changing a domestic space into something else
- good old making something out of nothing
- having a good-bye party before moving out

Things we made for the exhibition:
- scanned clothes and photocopied them (4 x A3)
- collages from googled images
- digitally shoplifted at Vapaavalinta home supply store by photographing grey melange clothes
- a pile of our melange grey clothes
- recorded a scene from Rocky, the sporty montage scene with one arm push ups etc
- some drawings where the drawing hand imitates the texture of grey melange
- list of connotations

A thing I forgot to make:
- Recommended reading sign on a table with Gerhard Richter: Doubt and Belief in painting -book on it

Stress level while preparing the exhibition:
- Elina 4%
- Antti 0%

Stress level measurement on the day of the exhibition:
- Elina 56%
- Antti 89% *

All in all I am content with how the show came out and went. I was so happy that people showed up. It was interesting to hear their comments and musings on melange grey though I was nervous. There was a solid level of curiousity and puzzlement in the air. The Rocky vidoe seemed to be a favorite. Boys had a go at one hand pushups and other physically demanding pushup styles which was cool. Some dancing happened around the grey pile. All good.



Grey melange is an ocean of thought to dive into. I tried to write more about what it is in the color and texture of grey melange but my thoughts don't necessarily translate into language nor should they. It has to do with something that happens when you are looking at nothing and it starts to look like a body of something. Like you are contenting yourself with something that seems like not a lot. It makes you feel very priviliged.

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* Note: Antti's higher stress level could've been due to the fact that he had his club that same night

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See more images of the show in my Flickr.

Read more about the B-home project here.