The Kirpilä Art Collection has acquired two new works of art: In the Garden by Minjee Hwang Kim, and one part of the series New flame of mine by Bogna Luiza Wiśniewska. Both pieces date from 2022 and were created for Kirpilä’s thirtieth anniversary exhibition.
“The museum does not actively grow its collection, and new purchases are always considered very carefully to make sure they do not obscure Juhani Kirpilä’s original intent. These new works fall beautifully into place in the collection, despite forming an entirely new category within it. This produces an interesting conflict,” explains museum director Johanna Ruohonen.
The exhibition Years that repeat their days, curated by Mariliis Rebane and seen at Kirpilä in the summer of 2022, aimed very subtly to modify the museum, and many works were camouflaged as everyday objects. The museum’s décor includes luxurious carpets and decorative objects, and Kim’s rug and Wiśniewska’s candlestick are a play on the intersections between these items and the art collection per se.
“Juhani Kirpilä wanted to turn his home into an art centre that follows its time, and contemporary art exhibitions have become an important element of our operations. It is wonderful when small traces of the exhibitions can remain more permanently on view,” Ruohonen says.
And not always so small; the piece Neosgaia by Raimo Saarinen, an installation consisting of house plants, acquired in 2017, has grown into a centrepiece of the Mattas Room and a significant constituent of the Kirpilä Art Collection.
“It is hard to imagine Kirpilä without Neosgaia anymore, and I am sure that these new acquisitions will similarly claim their places in the collection. The Kirpilä Art Collection’s history becomes stratified through its new acquisitions,” Ruohonen concludes.
Photo: part of the series New flame of mine by Bogna Luiza Wiśniewska and In the Garden by Minjee Hwang Kim / Kirpilä Art Collection