Where Artists Work.

Thoughts on Artists & their Spaces.

Finland.
Photography & text by Adam Monaghan.

I have always been drawn to artist’s studios and I am always grateful and honoured when given access to them. They are, after all, very personal spaces and what is on show can be the equivalent of opening a diary or showing someone your unedited contact sheets. Additionally, it is often the images of artists at work that attract me. That might be either the pleasure of seeing them work; I think of those pictures of Rauschenberg, literally in his paintings, elbow up, head close to the picture surface, or Warhol, sat nonchalantly aside from the work itself. I feel these photographs often help reinforce one's feelings about their pictures. Or sometimes it is the surprise at the countenance and clothes behind a famous painting.
We might be familiar with a Mark Rothko or a Franz Klein or Willem de Kooning and the works have become in some way timeless and ubiquitous. But when you see the maker, the shirt and tie, the brown work coat, the pencil moustache, the Brylcreemed hair, the dungarees – suddenly they seem out of time, taken back to a Mad Men era. I like the smartness of mid-century formal dress next to the controlled chaos of a Cy Twombly canvas. For me, it makes the work human again. Looking forward, of course, as time passes, the clothes and hair cuts from today will seem as archaic and specific as those from the 1950s do now. 

I am also interested in the passing nature of artist’s work spaces. Naturally, in a wider sense, this is true for everyone; we all exist in and move on from places. But for artists, who often inhabit buildings that are being repurposed or awaiting new owners or even demolition, this is writ large. Artists typically need spaces that allow for a certain amount of mess; a tendency which may not be congruent to landlords in brand new buildings. They often need rents that are favourable; the visual arts are not renowned for high salaries and only a tiny percentage of artists really have sufficient income from their work alone. (Often it is subsidised with freelancing; teaching, gallery and museum work or by relying on grants.)
Additionally, the spaces may need to be large and have large access routes and maybe specialised equipment (kilns, air extraction, lifting hoists, floors capable of excessive weight limits.) The nature of their practice dictates the nature of the space required. And as such the spaces reflect the art work and the art work the space.
When art works enter collections, they are guaranteed some sort of permanence, but the spaces that forged them are often destined to disappear forever. I am drawn to the idea that a few photographs may survive to help tell the story of their maker and the art works path into the world.

Photos from top: Nelly Toussaint was born in France and now lives in Finland. She has studied at the University of Paris, the Ecole Nationale Superieure d’art La Villa Arson and Helsinki University. She works with etching, dry-point and drawing.
Artist and Designer George Seppala studied at Aalto University in Finland where he focused in part on mould making for ceramic and glass.
Dan Beard has lived and worked as a professional artist in London and Los Angeles. He currently resides in Helsinki. In recent years he has worked on a series exploring the properties, structures and qualities of tree bark.

Photo above: Originally from Bulgaria, Lora Dimova moved to Finland in 2012. Dimova studied ceramics and glass in Bulgaria and has a Masters Degree in Fine Art from Finland. Her works have been shown in galleries, museums and festivals around the world.
Below: Jaakko Mattila was born in Oulu, Finland and studied at The Surrey Institute of Art & Design. He has exhibited widely across Europe and his work is held in collections around the world.

Photo above left: Mirka Hämäläinen studied as a sculptor, but often now works as a painter and draftsperson. She has shown widely across Finland and her work is held in the Helsinki Art Museum collection.
And right: Kimmo Kumela has studied Fine Art in both Finland and Sweden. He primarily works with drawing often using found materials, photographs and text, which he works over to make his own. His work has been shown across the Nordics and is held in Finnish Museum collections.

Photo above: Heidi Lahtinen is an artist living and working in Helsinki. She graduated as a painter from the Helsinki Free Art School in 2011.
Her main technique is tufting but she also utilises various plastering techniques. Her works revolve around the theme of extinct animal species.

Thanks for reading.