Emma Luukkala // Än Yy Tee, paintings, tm•gallery 16.2.-12.3.2023

The starting point for Emma Luukkala’s latest exhibition ÄN YY TEE was an autumn walk, when the artist had a spontaneous desire to take a dip in the cold sea. The interest focused on the moment just before the action: desire, determination, tension, hesitation and the possibility of still backing off. Tearing off a plaster, waiting for guests at a party and writing a message on a park bench. Luukkala is inspired by the small, seemingly ordinary moments where life seems to become denser, even elevated. At the same time, even festive moments are always decorated and surrounded by the embarrassing dirt, abrasions and mosquito bites of everyday life.

The exhibition consists of about ten oil paintings and one sculpture, in which the memories of childhood and adulthood are intertwined. Compared to Luukkala’s previous production, the paintings are larger and the milieu of the works has changed from home to the outdoors. The paintings’ picnic blankets on the lawns, the smiling cloudy sky, the calm sea surface, and the sculpture that mimics the forest path’s bench together create an image of an unhurried summer day in urban nature. The light and playful cheerfulness of the first impression is accompanied by signs of worries and fears. The absence of people in the pictures and the unnatural line drawings raise questions about what is real and what is absent in the paintings.

Gallery is open: Tue, Thu, Fri 11-5pm, Wed 11-6pm, Sat 11-4pm, Sun 12-4pm
Meet the Artist 12.3. at 2-3pm