Tune in all of you art fans – you’re in for a real treat here! Her Campus Helsinki stopped by at the modern art museum Kiasma to give you the latest review on one of the most thought-provoking exhibitons Helsinki has to offer at the moment: Face to Face – Portrait Now.
In a never-ending jungle of selfies, snapshots and Instagram photos, have you ever pondered what the quickly-captured image tells about us? This exhibition specifically takes you on a journey of self-discovery, offering you the perfect opportunity to problematize the very question of modern portraits and our rapidly developing identities.
Nowadays the subject of self-image is near (and maybe not-so-dear) to every single student out there, since it’s next to impossible to live far away from the reach of selfie sticks and social media. Since the idea of “one true identity” is becoming more and more obscure in modern society, modern art, too, seeks newer and yet even more critical imageries to depict our varied and constantly changeable identities. In much the same way, you can probably also easily identify yourself with the many diverse roles you need to play each day, for example from an attentive friend to a hardworking co-worker in a large company.
Such seemingly contradicting yet overlapping emotions are some of the things explored in the exhibition, where one can find, for instance, traditional self-portraits neighbouring avant-gardist pictures of portrayed people whom are under hypnosis; in one way the portrayed individuals are present, but in another way they are miles away. It’s astonishing how the exhibition feels intimate, yet you can’t quite forget that you’re standing alone gazing into just a portrait, a mere reflection of a person whom you’ve never met before.
Therefore do consider taking the first small step towards this fascinating exhibition. Face to Face – Portrait Now is the perfect opportunity for you to indulge yourself with the most inspiring collage of artists the Finnish art scene has to offer. Protip: if you’re not familiar with modern art, try taking a friend along with you. This way you can both reflect and find different approaches towards the exhibition which can lead to whole new interpretations!
Face to Face will be on display in Kiasma until 07.02.2016. For more information on student tickets, check out the museum’s website here. Note: Kiasma has a free entrance day on the first Friday of every month!