Mikkeli Centre of Photography
30.9.–5.11.2021
Photographic Centre Nykyaika
30.10.–22.11.2021
Connecting The Dots, 2021 (detail)
© Heli Kaskinen 2021
When I was young, my grandmother tried to teach me to wink. After several unsuccessful attempts, I finally came up with my own version: blinking with both eyes at the same time. My parents, unaware of this lesson with my grandmother, took me to the doctor to have my eyes checked, but the mystery of why I was closing my eyes was not resolved. Later in life, my grandmother gradually lost her memory and was unable to recognize me. But on our last encounter she winked at me. This small gesture turned the whole situation around. She remembered me after all, and our little secret.
In that last encounter with my grandmother, grief and joy intertwined in an unexpected way that brought in that situation the most important of emotions, hope. It taught me that the wink of an eye is a subtle gesture, but it has the capacity to completely change the essence of things. It can emphasize the humorous nature of a situation or introduce a whole new perspective even to the painful or heavy experiences. With this humorous gesture, I try to deal with the cracks of my life. Do the ghosts from the past still look so scary in the bright light of noon?
One Dot Rules Them All is a collection of conceptual photographic works that deals with different painful points of life from a humorous perspective by combining text and found images together. At the same time, it is also an attempt to peek to the other side of an image and humanize a moment that has stalled by playing with viewing, perception, and interpretation. The works on view are connected through different concrete as well as conceptual points such as a camera lens or a breaking point. Those different points tend to lead the viewer behind the surface of the image towards private experiences, thoughts, and feelings and they also talk about a slightly different story than the story that we may see at first glance. These unfolding thoughts, emotions and stories are both fictional and true. The works tend to turn out another image, another destiny.
Heli Kaskinen (b. 1981, Järvenpää) is a visual artist who mainly works with humorous and conceptual photography. In her work Kaskinen combines text, found photographs and objects in a playful and insightful manner. Her works draw on self-reflection and deal with the shadows of life with a unique and recognizable touch. Kaskinen received her MFA Degree from the Academy of Fine Arts of the University of The Arts Helsinki in 2017. At the moment Kaskinen is finalizing her MA Degree in Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture in Espoo, Finland. During the last couple of years her works have been shown in solo and group exhibitions in Europe, e.g. Finland, Germany and Austria.
The artist’s work and the exhibition have been supported by: Olga and Vilho Linnamo foundation, The Finnish Cultural Foundation’s Uusimaa Regional Fund.
Mikkeli Centre of Photography
Puistokatu 3
50100 Mikkeli, Finland
Opening hours
Wednesday–Friday 11am–5pm
Saturday 11am–3pm
Sundays–Tuesdays closed.
Please visit: www.mikkelinvalokuvakeskus.fi for further information.
Photographic Centre Nykyaika
Kauppakatu 14
33210 Tampere, Finland
Opening hours
Mon-Fri 12 – 18
Sat-Sun 12 – 16
Closed between exhibitions and on public holidays.
Please visit: valokuvakeskusnykyaika.fi for further information.