Still Still Life (1 February - 23 August 2020) was an overview of the different forms of still life in modern and contemporary art. The works in the exhibition were combined with a perspective on still life and still life. The collections of the Sara Hildén Foundation were accompanied by works borrowed from contemporary artists.
Modernists used the still life as a tool for free reflection on artistic challenges such as issues related to composition, light, and form. The still life existed for the sake of art and was not thought to refer to itself.
The current setup has broken out of frames and a two-dimensional surface into an installation that spreads into space and is composed of objects and various materials. The current still life also considers the still life as an art form.
The century-old popularity of the still life is based on man's special relationship of objects as part of the material world: we use, utilize, and enjoy it. Still life is still a tool through which to explore and express different contents as well as worlds of values.
The works in the exhibition provided a platform for discussion about our relationship to objects and matter. Watching them gave me a chance to meditate for a moment or a little longer. "The work must be aesthetic to attract a more conceptual edge." (Toni R. Toivonen).
The artists in the exhibition were: Greta Alfaro, Arman (Armand Fernandez), Hans-Christian Berg, Fernando Botero, Claudio Bravo, Anthony Caro, Jacob Dahlgren, Berlinde De Bruyckere, Saara Ekström, Erik Enroth, Susanne Gottberg, Juan Gris, Emma Helle, Nir Hod, Daniel Jacoby, Elina Juopperi, Zhanna Kadyrova, Antero Kahila, Pentti Kaskipuro, Arto Korhonen, Fernand Léger, Li Mingzhu, Heikki Marila, Giorgio Morandi, Inka Nieminen, Pablo Picasso, Anna Retulainen, Nicolas de Staël, Toni R. Toivonen, Anu Tuominen, Rafael Wardi, Klaus Weber.
