MAIRE – INTERACTIVE MULTIMEDIA WORK – MARITA LIULIA
Media artist Marita Liulia, born in 1957, emerged at the height of Finnish full modernism. Her work, Maire, features approximately 500 image-text manipulations that span the visions of full modernism—from fine art to industrial design, architecture to caricatures, interior design to utopias, creating a comprehensive “Maire world.” The work presents the voices of contemporary artists alongside their products and the theories of different eras.
Maire adopts a critical approach to modernism as a cultural phenomenon, juxtaposing various perspectives and creations. Central to the experience is the viewer, who uses a computer interface to construct their personal understanding of modernism.
The piece offers multiple pathways: one can move from modernism’s playful flea market to the wilds of theory or contemporary critique. After hearing the artists’ words, the viewer can explore the kind of art they produced. There is also a dedicated section for Maire Gullichsen, who serves as the central figure of the work—a “prototype of the modernist.”
The work is currently on display at the Pori Art Museum. A duplicate will be exhibited at Galerie Artek from May 15 to May 23 and at the Museum of Modern Art in Vienna from June to August.
Translated with ChatGPT