Nature is an important source of inspiration for my work. I am fascinated especially about a seaweed called “mermaid’s hair”. I have used it as a symbol of fascination itself. The plant looks like hair and the rocks are like heads. It is a metaphor of adoration, worshipping and romantic crush. Growing and spreading all over, it makes people invade each other and stick on another one’s skin.
“Dreaming Mermaid Falling” is about a narcissistic crush that is deepened by dreaming.
The surface of my rocks or rocklike people is made by coloring and partly rubbing off the surface of the paper. It gives an impression of what the work might feel like through the sense of touch.
In finnish, mermaid’s hair is called “ahdinparta”, which means “beard of Ahti”. Ahti is the god of water in finnish paganism.
I continued working with the same kinds of brushstrokes.
An interesting, concrete quality of mermaid’s hair is that it is actually very soft and cosy under bare feet. However, it’s not always a safe spot to step on, so it can be misleading. “Rescue” is inspired by the three Graces in Greek mythology.
My recent mermaid-themed works explore the relations of science and the individual, of the beholder and its object and of humankind and nature. A woman looking character emphasizes the fact that a viewer and a person are still seen mainly as masculine and as the crown of creation. There is a lot more in common between humans and animals, than people are willing to officially admit. The way we treat animals is connected to the way we treat each other. Of course, the classification of organisms is important from a scientific point of view, but an individual should always have the freedom to define itself.
You can buy my artworks in Taiko, the webstore for finnish art
You can borrow some of my works from Rikhardinkatu Art Library in Helsinki
Aino Keinänen 