KORU 8 International Contemporary Triennial Exhibition in Oulu

Artist list

Manami Aoki, Miriam Arentz, Ingrid Berg, Sara Blosseville, Monika Brugger, Willemien Bruwer, Fernando Crêspo, Ildikó Dánfalvi, Margus Elizarov, Åsa Elmstam, Gésine Hackenberg, Maria Ignacia Walker, Aya Jadon, Courtney Jamieson, Therese Johansson, Steven Kaplan-Pistiner, Heeseung Koh, Jamie Kroeger, Moses Krämer, Marie Lafaille, Vivi Lamarre, Kristiina Laurits, Helena Lehtinen, Yuxi Lu, Helena Lundahl, Märta Mattsson, Felicia Mülbaier, Maria Nuutinen, Rachel Ouizemann, Ismini Pachi, Kimia Parang, Janne Peltokangas, Arianna Pittini, Sarah Powell, Inni Pärnänen, Kendall Reiss, Anna Rikkinen, Anne Saastamoinen, Meghan Schmiedel, Olga Stalev, Yen-Yu Tseng, Natalie Vanderzand, Valérie Wagner, Mona Wallström, Shun Wan Ko, Lingjie Wang, Luisa Werner, Josephine Winther, Ching-Hui Yang

Where are we when we yearn for nature and what have we built instead of it? The KORU8 exhibition was assembled around these questions. The pieces will be displayed in a completely new and innovative installation, offering visitors a fresh and immersive experience of the pieces.

The ecosystems of the Earth’s forests are as diverse as the cultures humans have created, often they are these cultures’ sources, homes and roots. They are full of life and death – cycles and time. The history of forests is part of our human history.

Forest experiences vary from tree plantations to untouched ancient ecosystems. Some can also experience the idea of a forest in parks, gardens and the asphalt jungles of an urban environment. For the artists, the forest is a source of imagination and creativity into which tradition, beliefs, mysticism and metaphors are intertwined. Colors and smells of a forest arise from personal memories and art mixes them with philosophical and conceptual ponderings. For a long time humans have lived seemingly detached from nature and above it. Now the purpose is to be a part of it, living together as an equal partner species.

The common denominator behind all this ‘forested jewellery’ is a deep longing. Where are we when we yearn for nature and what have we built instead of it? The KORU8 exhibition was assembled around these questions. Biodiversity is declining at an ever accelerating pace. Only three percent of nature remains untouched on the planet. Part of the threat is that, as the diversity of life shrinks, the experience of nature will become something seen only in a museum.

Contemporary jewellery contributes to creating a worldview in which diversity and ecological dependencies are acknowledged, where they are nurtured and celebrated. Through a piece of jewellery we have the opportunity to carry this worldview with us.


Opening: Fri 24.1.2025 at 17:00 - 19:00
 
Organizer:
The Finnish Jewellery Art Association is a non-profit association, established in 2005. The association aims to promote contemporary jewellery in Finland and to improve its recognition as an art and design form. The association operates nationally, but the home location is Lappeenranta.

Management: Tarja Tuupanen
Phone: 0414324973