iisa maaranen

"An amulet (lat. amuletum ‘protective object’) is a piece that is believed to bring good luck or protect its carrier from evil, such as illness, accident or witchcraft."*

 

Iisa Maaranen’s surrealist solo exhibition Fragile Heart travels from the origins of the human mind to the present day. It considers, through folk tales and in particular references to amulets, whether we are generally the same as we were thousands of years ago? Ancient human carried an amulet made of stone. Modern human carries a phone.

 

Fragile Heart consists of a series of tempera paintings, centered on an abstracted satellite ship flying at the edge of the world or mind, reflecting the heart of modern human. The dish antennas around the ship are simplified to amulet-like shapes, creating a field of protective objects. They are shields, mirrors or sensors with which the heart constantly senses the accelerating pulse of the world: coexisting, changing emotional states, signals and environments. The heart reflects and mirrors. It protects itself. Revives. Gets addicted. Gets wild. Goes into overdrive. Ultimately, always seeking again and again, at all times – a safe place, community, purpose and freedom.

 

The exhibtion has approached the subject playfully and allowed a childlike, even hilarious approach in this crazy world. When the mind enters a state of play, it is free for a moment. The paintings spin and toss from one mood to another. Movement and rhythm live and transform. The impression of tempera painting sometimes leans towards a sketchy, almost wood-colored, fragile atmosphere, and then back to a more painterly style.

 

Warm thanks to the Kone Foundation for supporting the work for the exhibition.

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*Wikipedia