Pasi Eerik Karjula

Pasi Eerik Karjula (b. 1964) makes robust and massive sculptural works of wood, often wielding his chainsaw on a human scale with a loosely gestured idiom. Also known for the “OOPS” series of public sculptures (made together with the artist Marko Vuokola), Karjula is a versatile talent, a spatial, environmental and conceptual artist operating in many media. The simple themes of Karjula’s wooden pieces, foreign to modern sculpture, such as castles, ships or crowns, seduce the viewer to make interpretations that transcend the everyday, reaching to mythological, historical or fairy-tale-like stories. The works become open fictions – stories that the artist does not tell to the end, but leaves for the viewer to finish. The artist makes use of the stratification of time, combining old and new works into larger pieces, creating new juxtapositions, dynamics and stories between otherwise individual and distinct works. Changes brought on by time, such as staining or the effects of weather on the works, are also integrated into the sculptures, becoming part of their identity and meaning. For OPEN, Karjula made a work consisting of several parts, with “OOPS III”(2004) forming the core of the piece. Karjula’s grotesque craftsmanship and the banality of his works enter into a tension-filled dialogue with their venues: the cinematic and luxurious aspect that characterises Venice will create an interesting fictional context for Karjula’s "folk sculptures".