Series of reading experiences in Kiasma’s collections
Complemented annually, the series of collection catalogues is a continuously growing storehouse of information on both contemporary art and Kiasma's collections. It provides new and interesting perspectives on the collection of nearly 9,000 works. The fifth volume of the series will be published in conjunction with the Landscape collection exhibition opening this autumn.
Every collection catalogue reflects its own time. The expertise of the contributing writers has also extended the research material derived from the collections. The texts support and deepen the exhibition themes arising from the public debates on contemporary art. In the catalogues, writers usually discuss the significance of individual works and their position as part of the collection. The exhibition catalogue also communicates the aims of Kiasma’s acquisition policy.
The catalogues deepen our knowledge and provide new insights about the artworks. The photos refresh the reader's memory, while continuing the museum experience. The catalogues are bilingual, Finnish/English, so they also serve as Kiasma’s visiting cards abroad.
COLLECTIONS IN CATALOGUES
Kalervo Palsa, Resurrection is a book of photos and essays that open new angles on the mythical artist image of Kalervo Palsa. The book updated a selection of Palsa’s production. It introduce us to an elaborate personality who observed his loved ones and surroundings with a sensitive eye and whose art transcended confessional autobiography to discuss eternal human themes.
The Night Train takes the reader on a surreal route through Kiasma’s collections. Articles accompanied by beautiful photos present the legacy of Surrealism in contemporary art. The artworks in the book share the feelings of alienation and strangeness, the focus on the unknown territories of the human mind and existence, the nocturnal awareness.
Love me or leave me provides an in-depth account of the reasons behind the feelings triggered by contemporary art while taking the reader on an emotional trip. The book contains the most loved and hated works in Kiasma’s collections that were also on display in the exhibition. The articles explain why works of contemporary art touch the heart and mind.
Fractures of Life collection catalogue shows that contemporary art really speaks out. In the texts unravel such innocent-looking concepts as everyday life and ordinary people. The writings alter our fixed ideas about both.
The collection catalogue published in the context of the Landscape exhibition approaches the idea of a landscape from different angles. The conventional ideas about the landscape and the way contemporary art challenges its viewer to analyse the actual viewing experience and his or her own part in it. Articles examines the concepts of landscape, environment and nature, as well as the cultural influences on our ideas of a landscape and the landscape into its art historical context.
Eija Aarnio
