Eeva Karhu uses a layered structure in her pieces as a way of processing the passage and cyclicity of time through images as well as exploring the relationship between observation and internal experience. The internal and external worlds come together, as recurring shapes and colours start to arise and the place loses its characteristics.
The series, called ‘Surrounded by’, was first conceived on a bicycle trip around Iceland. The physically challenging trip left its mark in the form of vivid memories that Karhu later worked into photographs in Finland. Karhu is inspired by the Romantic period, during which artists such as William Turner travelled the world in quest of the sublime, chasing powerful experiences in nature.
Each photographic piece consists of several dozens of overlapping images, each playing an equal role in the final result. In addition to two-dimensional photographic pieces, Karhu uses installations to illuminate her methods. The series was first exhibited at the Photographic Gallery Hippolyte in Helsinki in the summer of 2018. The current, partially renewed series is now exhibited for the first time.
Eeva Karhu (1980) graduated from the photography programme at Aalto University with a Master’s degree in Arts. Her artwork has been internationally exhibited in museums, galleries and art fairs since 2011. She has also held solo exhibitions in Berlin, Helsinki, London, Stockholm, etc. Her works are featured in a number of Finnish and international art collections.
Karhu’s first photography book called Path | Polku will be published in connection with the exhibition.
