link: FRAME Finnish Fund for Art Exchange - Venice Biennale  

Artist: Vesa-Pekka Rannikko Curator: Laura Köönikkä  

txt: Vesa-Pekka Rannikko Represents Finland at the 2011 Venice Biennale

My choice was influenced by the versatility and re-inventiveness of the artist as well as his ability to take charge of architectonic space. Rannikko’s international fame will also enhance Finland’s visibility at the multinational Biennale”, says exhibition curator Laura Köönikkä. Amongst Vesa-Pekka Rannikko’s most recognisable works are sculptures that reproduce objects in three dimensions, mimicking paintings. Rannikko has also created several location-specific works where the usual boundaries between viewer, work of art and space are blurred. His works challenge the limits of viewing and experience: an image becomes a material object while the space of the work becomes an image. Viewers feel impelled to question the veracity of many of the works, due to the juxtaposition of their theme and the way they are realised. For Rannikko, one starting point for the exhibition at the Venice Biennale is the Aalto Pavilion in Venice. Ceated by Alvar Aalto, it was originally meant to be a temporary structure. Now Rannikko is keen to explore its role and character as a stage for what is Finnish.

 

video: Finland Pavilion at Expo 2010 Shanghai: 2010