A stack of art books supported by Frame’s grant programme are hot off the presses this autumn. We share our pick of five titles by Finnish female artists that deserve a top spot on this winter’s reading list.
Hertta Kiiski’s I Was An Apple And I Got Peeled But It Was A Good Thing is a seven-year romance with the camera. The protagonists are Kiiski´s own daughters, whom she has photographed in the intimate surroundings of their home, holiday houses and artist residencies from the Finnish archipelago to Venice. Kiiski says that her photographs study “one of the most banal subjects: time and how we experience it”. Published by Kehrer Verlag.
Karina-Sirkku Kurz’s Ungleichgewich (Imbalance) delves into the world of eating disorders. Her book is based on the narratives of people involved in an intensive, long-term project together with Kurz. The photographs and stories go way beyond the classical stereotypes of the illness. Ungleichgewich, published by Kehrer Verlag, is also the winner of the Nordic Dummy Award 2015.
Wilma Hurskainen’s third monograph, The Woman Who Married a Horse, examines the relationship between humans and horses. In art, the horse is a symbol that never seems to wear out with time. In her images, Hurskainen borrows elements from girls’ books and folklore. The Woman Who Married a Horse will be published by Kehrer Verlag later this year.
Maija Astikainen’s One-Dog Policy is a book about the obscure relationship between humans and dogs. Her photos play with the concept of anthropomorphism, that is, the attribution of human traits, intentions and emotions to animals. The illusion of likeness easily leads to misinterpretations. Dogs look guilty or depressed; they seem to laugh or blame you. They become imaginary persons. One-Dog Policy by Khaos Publishing will be out in November.
Niina Lehtonen Braun’s These Foolish Things Remind Me of You presents a collection of objects that remind their owner of someone special to them. In 2014, inspired by personal and psychological motives, she conducted a survey in which she invited friends, relatives, and exhibition visitors to submit their personal memories for her artwork. For each submitted object, she created a drawing or a collage. These small memorials encourage readers to start digging into their own memory. What object would make you stop and think of someone dear to you? Published by Kerber Verlag, the book will have its launch at the Frankfurt Book Fair in October.
Photo: (c) Hertta Kiiski.