Sara Kovamäki
Open studio – Daphne
12.2.-8.3.
Open studio – Daphne is an open space where working and presenting works are intertwined. It is inspired by the ancient myth of Apollo and Daphne, metamorphosis and, in particular, Daphne’s transformation into a tree. In my works, I explore bodily peace, recognizing and redefining one’s boundaries, the inevitability of change at various phases of survival and growth in life, the need for protection, and the expression of sexuality and physicality in art. I think of Open studio – Daphne as a metamorphic exercise, in which the relationship between nature, especially trees, and humans guides the work process.
Apollo symbolizes light, the enabler of seeing and growth, but also shadows and darkness, or excessive brightness – threats that one has to live with. In the exhibition, Apollo is also Louis XIV, the Sun King, one of the progenitors of court ballet.
A mythical forest
In the exhibition space, there is a forest, to which I have invited contributors whose art, or the things they work with, resonate with the themes of Open studio – Daphne from different perspectives. Their works and visits to the gallery grow into a mythical forest that is collective, subconscious, reflective, and protective.
Open studio – Daphne is part of a longer continuum in which I have explored the relationship between image and body through various art forms since 2015: DepenDances (2024), In the shadow of the Sun King (2020), Nude blue (2019), Firstlove – lit. blue. bended. blood (2018) and Love is an endless pattern on the surface of reflector (2015).
I make use of materials from the earlier phases, creating new combinations and variations with video, sound and text forming their own layers. I engage in dialogue with satin ribbon, branches, charcoal, ice, and dry leaves, I write, move, and dance in the space, tuning my thinking, and in my own way, I converse with the works as they take shape. After the exhibition, the materials will return to nature or they will be recycled or remain part of the artistic process.
Enter the space with an open mind, the landscape is in flux. The change may be barely noticeable, or something bigger may be unfolding as we speak. Curled up in a sleeping bag among pine needles, bark and roots, I write:
We are not alone, there are many of us.
Welcome.
Sara Kovamäki (b. 1981) is a visual artist with a background in dance (MFA and BA in Dance). Her multidisciplinary work combines moving image, varying materials, performance and dance. She prefers a site- and situation-specific working method, engaging in long-term and experimental artistic processes both alone and collectively. Often her works take on their final shape on site, in relation to the specific space and environment, where the prevailing conditions, unexpected events, atmosphere, and energies have a direct impact.
