Color, Form and Meaning
Exhibition of two Artist Professors Textile Artist Merja Keskinen and Ceramic Artist Kirsi Kivivirta

The joint exhibition “Color, Form and Meaning” by textile artist Merja Keskinen and ceramic artist Kirsi Kivivirta, two professors of art, will open in the Crypt of Helsinki Cathedral in August 2022. The beautiful crypt spaces with brick walls and thick pillars in the basement of the cathedral, provide an interesting environment for dialogue with the works of art. The exhibition works form an interesting and communicating ensemble around the brick architecture of the crypt and its cultural-historical dimension.

The starting point for the joint exhibition of the two artists is color and shapes and their expression in hard and soft material. Through simplistic and clear expression, spatiality and color variations are presented. The content connection between the works is formed by the three-dimensionality on the image surface and the presentation of optical impressions.

The works represent contemporary ceramic and textile art. The techniques used by both artists date back millennia. The artists have both developed and adapted techniques to make their own art. Their strong foundation lies in solid artistic vision, professionalism and control of their own tools. The artists are united by a way of thinking and working, both artists’ artworks are constructed from parts and compositions of recurring elements. The parts form an image, the colors create an atmosphere.

The Arts Promotion Center Finland has awarded both artists the states 5-year Art Professor grant for 2022-26.