www.kiasma.fi 2010 44 vol 12 New: Comic Strip by Kaija Papu Adel Abidin in Kiasma’s Reality TV Spring Calendar Colourful Winter in Kiasma Olav Christopher Jenssen Chasing Titles Olavi Paavolainen and Hertta Kuusinen: A Love Story on Stage Olav Christopher Jenssen BERND BORCHARDT For the Berlin-based Norwegian artist Olav Christopher Jenssen, naming works is like mixing paint. Right Panorama/Preface. Where Do Titles Come From? Names are fascinating and difficult. Anybody who has ever tried to think of a name for something – a child, a boat, a band – knows that naming can be surprisingly hard. It is easy enough to think of a nice name, but what if you have to find a name that is original, long-lasting, memorable, sufficiently layered and even rolls off the tongue easily? CAA / PIRJE MYKKÄNEN Kiasma 3 Olav Christopher Jenssen’s Panorama series BERND BORCHARDT gave the title to the entire exhibition. Right Panorama/Begonia. When an artwork is just labelled Untitled, does it imply as if the painting were offering the title to the painter, that the artist’s treasure-house of words is empty? Or not the other way round. Sometimes, however, Jenssen can the lack of a title in itself be intentional and there- has to hunt for a suitable name, working well into the fore meaningful? Some artists may not want to give night, or even longer. any clues for interpretation, others can feel the title is unimportant. NORWEGIAN MINDSCAPE Entitling works ’untitled’ has also been an extreme modernist phenomenon, part of an ideology of art The title of Olav Christopher Jenssen’s exhibition in which states that a work does not, and should not, point Kiasma is Panorama, after a series of ten paintings to any reality beyond itself. For example, a painting must in the show. According to Jenssen himself, the title only be a painting, addressing such issues as colour, evolved slowly during the painting process. It is form, texture and composition, and nothing more. hardly a coincidence that the northern end of Kiasma According to this strategy, inventing a title for a painting withits floor-to-wall landscape window is also known leads the viewers’ imagination astray instead of leading as Panorama. Perhaps Jenssen was already thinking them to focus on the essential, the painting’s intrinsic about Kiasma when he painted the series, standing reality. in his mind in the upcoming show, looking out Often, however, a work of art does have a title. of the window at the panoramic view over Many artists name their work after the idea or motif Helsinki... that originally inspired it. Some may give a clue as to The idea of Panorama embodies the notion of a influences. broad view, an encompassing, unbroken horizontal For the Norwegian artist Olav Christopher Jenssen, perspective. Although Jenssen has lived in an urban titles are extremely important. The titles of his paintings environment most of his life, no one ever forgets to usually develop organically, as part of the process of mention his affinity to nature: he is from northern making the painting. At best, the title emerges auto- Norway, where the landscape is absolute and incontro- matically, springing into mind from the work itself, vertible. Perhaps the title derives from Jenssen’s 4 Kiasma BERND BORCHARDT BERND BORCHARDT There are no hidden meanings in his works, Jenssen promises, everything is in full view. Above the work Panorama/Recognition. Sometimes Jenssen needs the etymological dictionary in his hunt for the elusive title. Above the work Appointment/Idiom. inner landscape, the childhood mindscape that he says level. Sometimes they are place names (Verona), some- he always carries within him. times the title seems refer directly to colour (Grenadine Painting), sometimes it has to do with language and its THE TITLE IS A CLUE FOR THE VIEWER forms (Idiom). The titles are juicy and meaningful and give rise to new associations that complement the visual It is difficult to persuade Jenssen to tell me anything stimulus of the painting itself. Moreover, Jenssen’s titles more about this. He says he would prefer not to explain are often quite pleasing phonetically, like beautifully his works; that the best way for him to explain his sounding miniature poems or aphorisms. paintings is to paint them, and the best way to under- Collecting names and their meanings is for Jenssen stand them is just to look at them. like the process of mixing paint: the smallest change can The paintings in the Panorama series also have sub- alter the tone. The etymological dictionary is a much- titles or parallel titles. Panorama/Massimo; Panorama/ used book in his studio, something that carries Jenssen Insulan; Continental, Esplanad, Phonetica, Environment, away into an endless chain of associated meanings and Solution, Preface, Recognition ja Begonia. The titles seem signification. to describe moods suggested by the paintings to Jenssen. They are associative, playful and even a bit Arja Miller random, yet they offer the viewer one end of a string they can start to follow if they want. Olav Christopher Jenssen’s exhibition Panorama will be held on the fifth floor of Kiasma from 22 January to DICTIONARY ASSISTANCE 28 March 2010. The artist will talk about his work and exhibition in English Sat 23 January at 3 p.m. Jenssen’s titles are usually in a foreign language, Latin or English – rarely Norwegian or German, the artist’s languages. The use of foreign titles probably involves the aim of extending the meaning to a more general Kiasma 5 Point of View Audiences are fragmented in terms of not only experience, but also their starting points. Kiasma Is Seeking a Real Relationship THE MOST important thing in museum work is respond to every need, but that it should make the production of meaning. Without meaning, a genuine effort to give the audience an oppor- any encounter between art and people remains tunity to establish a relationship with art on just a passing touch. As in any relationship, in some meaningful level. That relationship is not art feeling is more important than seeing, a true necessarily based on love or even infatuation. meeting more significant than understanding. A relationship can be just as meaningful if it Meaning-construction is made challenging emerges through wonderment, questioning or by the fact that people come to art with such disagreement. different perspectives. Just as in life, in art people respond to different things. There is KIASMA’S spring season is full of opposites. no longer anything guaranteed to spark off The year opens with an exhibition of large, passions or inspire discussion. Audiences are luminous paintings by the Norwegian painter fragmented in terms of not only experience, Olav Christopher Jenssen. February will see but also their starting points. People are the opening of an exhibition by the young Iraqi- increasingly seeking relationships with the Finnish artist Adel Abidin, which shows the world, but the establishment of that relation- world from a totally different angle. Exhibitions ship is beset by ever greater expectations. towards the end of the season will include Denise Grünstein’s photographs and a EVEN customer surveys show that what the-matic show on Finnish history based on audiences expect from Kiasma is something portraits by the Russian painter Ilya Glazunov. to shake them, to leave an impression and give The spring season is rounded off by a new food for thought for a long time. The image collection exhibition that explores the concept of contemporary art is problematic precisely of events in art. Viewpoints change frequently, because so much is expected of it. A visit to a the different floors of the museum host shows contemporary art museum is also regarded a that represent mutually contradictory worlds. risk, because great expectations can never Through its exhibitions, Kiasma is looking for be satisfied for every visitor. ”Something a real relationship full of meaning. for everyone” is just as challenging a task as ”everything for everyone”. Audience orientation Berndt Arell does not mean that the museum has to 6 Kiasma Kiasma Magazine 44 KIASMA MAGAZINE| ISSN ISSN 1456-9124 Publisher | Museum of Contemporary Art Address | Kiasma, Museum of Contemporary Art Mannerheiminaukio 2, 00100 Helsinki, Finland www.kiasma.fi | e-mail [email protected], Tel. +358 (0)9 173 361, Fax +358 (0)9 1733 6503 Editor in Chief | Communications Manager Piia Laita +358 (0)9 1733 6507 Subeditor | Press Officer Päivi Oja +358 (0)9 1733 6534 Web | Sami Orpana / Kolmekuu Graphic Design and Lay out | Timo Vartiainen Translations | Tomi Snellman, Erik Miller, ACC Noodi Printed at | Libris The schedules of exhibitions and events are subject to change. CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE Berndt Arell | Museum Director In 2010 Kiasma will open Piia Laita | Editor in Chief seven major exhibitions and Taika Mannila | Kiasma’s cultural interpreter Arja Miller | Chief Curator / Exhibitions a collection exhibition. Juha Mustanoja | Writer and director Päivi Oja | Subeditor Kaija Papu | Comic Strip The inauguration of ARS 11 Pirkko Siitari | Chief Curator / Collections will be celebrated in April 2011. Jaakko Uoti | Kiasma’s cultural interpreter Petra Vuolanen | Kiasma’s cultural interpreter It will offer perspectives PHOTOGRAPHS | Jussi Kivi, Arja Miller, on African contemporary art. Kaija Papu, Minna Raitmaa, Nicholas R. Clark / Eyebeam Windowfarms Finnish National Gallery / Central Art Archives: Juho Heikkinen, Pirje Mykkänen, Henri Tuomi, Petri Virtanen CONTACT PERSONS | Museum Director Berndt Arell | Director’s Assistant Tuula Vuorio +358 (0)9 1733 6516 | Chief Curator / Exhibitions Arja Miller +358 (0)9 1733 6537 | Chief Curator / Collections Pirkko Siitari +358 (0)9 1733 6519 | Head of Education Sanna Hirvonen +358 (0)9 1733 6514 | Kiasma Theatre, Producer Riitta Aarniokoski +358 (0)9 1733 6512 | Head of Marketing and Sponsorship Sanna-Mari Jäntti +358 (0)9 1733 6653 | Cooperation Coordinator Päivi Hilska +358 (0)9 1733 6668 | THE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART was founded in 1991; the Kiasma building was completed in 1998.