THE MEMORY OF A JOURNEY – RAUNI LIUKKO

PRESS RELEASE (in Finnish)

The Memory of a Journey exhibition showcases the latest sculptures and installations by sculptor Rauni Liukko (b. 1940). The exhibition presents a selection of Liukko’s works from the 1980s and 1990s, a period of intense creativity during which the artist explored new techniques, materials, and themes. The dominant theme of the exhibition is the journey, serving as a metaphor for both life and death, encapsulating the poignant spectrum of existence.

Rauni Liukko’s breakthrough as an artist occurred in the 1970s with works such as Ruuhkaratikka (1973) (“Rush Hour Tram“), Liikkuva työvoima (1977) (“Moving Workforce“), and child figures cast in fiberglass, which garnered significant attention for their raw realism in the media and among the public. By the 1980s, her artistic expression and materials evolved: fiberglass gave way to bronze, which she began to combine with organic materials. Simultaneously, her themes shifted from the tragicomic and satirical to a more sensitive realm, incorporating mythical and romantic figures from various cultures, such as the legendary beast Chimera (1989), the Sphinx cloaked in wooden planks (1988–89), and Anubis, the Egyptian guardian of tombs (1993). Many of Liukko’s 1990s works are inspired by the sea, including ships crafted from diverse materials and large sculptures of shells and mollusks. The centerpiece of the exhibition is the installation Moon River (1993), where a wooden boat sails stationary in a sea of glass, enclosed within a framing structure.

A perspective on the past is provided in The Memory of a Journey exhibition by a series of child sculptures from the 1970s, which once evoked mixed emotions. Through the figure of a sweet child, Liukko commented on and critiqued the position of the small, defenseless individual in society. As an artist, Rauni Liukko has never been purely an aesthete or a creator of monuments awaiting eternity. Instead, she prioritizes establishing a living connection with her environment. This approach has given rise to works whose humane messages remain timelessly relevant.

The catalog published in conjunction with the exhibition features an article by critic Marja-Terttu Kiviranta on Rauni Liukko’s career as an artist. As a separate booklet accompanying the catalog, Kaj Kalin, Chief Curator at the Museum of Applied Arts, provides texts on Rauni Liukko’s poetry. The exhibition catalog also includes a selection of Liukko’s poems, shedding light on the sculptor’s lesser-known role as a writer.

Simultaneously with the Pori Art Museum exhibition, the Oulu Museum of Art presents Black Rainbow, a collection of Rauni Liukko’s works from the 1970s reassembled into new compositions alongside her more recent creations. Following the exhibitions in Pori and Oulu, a selection of these works will be displayed in March 1994 at the Otso Exhibition Hall in Espoo.

Publication:
ISBN 951-9355-38-3 Rauni Liukko
Pori Art Museum 14.1.-27.2.1994
Editing and lay-out: Jari-Pekka Vanhala
Articles: Marja-Terttu Kiviranta, art critic, Helsinki, Rauni Liukko, sculpturer, Helsinki
Photographs: Raija Grahn/Photo archive of Tampere Museums, Timo Heikkala, Timo Hämäläinen, Pentti Nissinen, Martti Peltonen, Juha Reunanen, Sverker Ström, Erkki Valli-Jaakola, Christian Westerback
Painohäme Oy, Ylöjärvi 1994
Pori Art Museum Publications 21