Eino Ruutsalo moved fluidly between different mediums and combined them freely. Most of his work from the 1960s consists of visual poetry, experimental short films, object assemblages, kinetic light works and documentary and feature films, but his extensive output also includes graphic art, paintings and sculptures. His free approach to different mediums of art and interplay between them made Ruutsalo a pioneer of Finnish contemporary art.
As early as the 1960s, Eino Ruutsalo exhibited his work in prestigious international forums, notably in conjunction with the cross-disciplinary Fluxus movement. His experimental short films were screened in the United States and are still presented in international art museums and at film festivals.
The exhibition is curated by researcher Marko Home and Ateneum exhibitions producer Katja Ikäläinen. Marko Home’s art-historical dissertation on Ruutsalo’s 1960s-era output will come to completion before the opening of the exhibition.
A book on Ruutsalo written by Home and published by Parvs will be released on 14 September 2021 (in Finnish).
