Final Exhibition of the Academy of Fine Arts
Groaup exhibition, 2007
Helsinki Art Museum
The Changing Garment of the Self
Year: 2007
Materials: Epoxyresin, silicone and human hair
Size: H 1200 x W 1400 x D 1200 mm
The sculpture features a flayed figure, with its own skin serving as a cloak, and the body appears as a battlefield. Through the loss of its skin, the figure is stripped of gender, class, race, and age. The flayed, rat-like body becomes a blank canvas, open to the creation of a new power structure. The piece can also be interpreted as a representation of human inner aggression, which must be reworked throughout the various stages of life. In middle age, fears of the end of one’s life arc emerge, as time is no longer infinite. In order to transition to a new stage of life, old values must be re-evaluated, and some inevitably dissolve. In this way, the middle-aged person is forced to confront distressing and depressive emotions when dealing with life's limitations. The intention is to depict the painful process of "shedding one's skin."
