Autumn 2004- Cork:Jaako Niemelä at Crawford
Review C109 Cork: Jaakko Niemelä at Crawford Finnish artist Jaakko Niemelä's series of seven closely linked installations at the Crawford Gallery provided a sugar kick for anyone who enjoys artwork which embraces child-like gadgetry and novelty. He is described in one of the catalogue essays as "little-big-man" - an apt term, as the artist's creation and application of sculptural forms / found objects / new media is driven by a sense of wonder and exploration, with toys, models and dioramas central to each installation.  | | Jaakko Niemelä:Cellar, 2001; courtesy Crawford | Just as important were the methods employed to present the objects / constructions, as scale, light and location were all exploited to instill a sense of disorientation and intrigue. Defined narratives, often with a visual or verbal pun, drew the viewer directly into the work, appealing to our innate sense of curiosity. This curiosity was activated in part by a methodical working practice which was influenced by this ex-designer's predilection for detail and presentation - notably the scale-model replicas of buildings. These were usually in a state of ruin, and this interest in degraded or dislocated spaces was central to the work. Furthermore, a sinister undertow appears to inform the artist's practice as he touches upon the darker emotions of fear, loss and isolation; such states are not excluded even from the representation of childhood, through the presence of toy soldiers, police cars and tanks. An example of this collision between adult and childhood trauma is suggested in the piece Cellar. Here, a precisely constructed wire model re-created the space of the title, complete with steps, shelves, doors, etc. Cinematically, if not literally, such a space conceals unseen terrors, where actual torture or imprisonment can occur. Such fear would become all consuming and envelop its victim, and the installation seemed to intimate this reading. This was realised through ingenious use of floor-level lighting which caused the rotating wire construction to cast a huge shadow onto an opposite wall, which swept up the viewer in a convolution of overlapping lines. The effect was truly hypnotic.  | | Jaakko Niemelä: A church for ants, 2002; courtesy Crawford | The interest in the darker side of human behaviour was carried through also in Peep. In this piece a small monitor showed the artist peering into the camera, which doubled as a two-way peephole. The video was visible through a tiny hole in a partition wall which was positioned very close to the floor, forcing the viewer onto all fours. Niemelä's interest in scale and physical interaction was seen elsewhere, albeit in contrasting proportion to Peep. The expertly constructed office block rotating on a pedestal in Model of disintegration was relayed in real time through CCTV to a separate area of the gallery. The projection covered an entire section of wall space which the viewer's silhouette became a part of. The spinning space projection was quite disorientating and lent convincingly to the artist's ability to make you feel a part of the work rather than just a spectator. Mark Ewart is a lecturer, art teacher and writer based in Cork. Jaakko Niemelä : Mourning , Crawford Municipal Art Gallery, Cork, April – June 2004
|
|
