Konsta Huusko Drainage Area

In my paintings, I examine landscapes. I examine them for example by cutting, grinding and painting. I combine painting pieces with found materials to create abstract images that include various elements such as dammed water, commercial forest landscapes, buildings, wetlands and untouched nature. For me, painting is a way of storing energy generated by travelling or other types of drifting. I am interested in different surface effects, playing with perspectives and randomness. By combining these elements, I depict imaginary landscapes and non-places.

The works were created along the Kemijoki river in 2020 and 2021. Life along the river gave me the feeling that humans have total control over nature, and the consequent sense of otherness is a driving force behind my artistic work. The river was harnessed for energy production in 1946, after which its natural salmon stock and the related age-old culture disappeared.

The exhibition has been supported by the Arts Promotion Centre Finland.

Konsta Huusko (b. 1982) is a Rovaniemi-based visual artist. He graduated from the Department of Visual Culture at Aalto University in 2010. “Drainage Area” is his third solo exhibition.