Finnish artists Terhi Ekebom and Sebastian Boulter are
holding an exhibition in Chili Art Gallery (13-15 Dimofontos str. sector 11851
Thission, Athens). Opening of the exhibition takes place on Thursday the 6th of
February 2020 at 20:00. The show is featuring drawings of Sebastian Boulter and
a large scale cut-paper installation of Terhi Ekebom. The exhibition is curated
by Paris Kapralos and has been organised in collaboration with the Finnish
Institute at Athens.
"Terhi Ekebom and Sebastian Boulter conglomerate in
a dynamic fashion, as they melt the historic, ancient streams of time and space
into the contemporary, while exploring the potential and the energy inherent in
their artworks, as open to reality as to imagination and dreams at the same
time. The roots of plantation which emerge from the ceiling in the tunnels
depicted in Boulter's works extend into the daylight reality of Ekebom's life
energy symbolism. The dualism of the two artists works differentiates them in
style as much as it interconnects them in the psyche of the spectators who will
drift to their side", notes the curator of the exhibition Paris Kapralos.
The artists have issued a statement emphasizing on their own
explorations to “the other side”. The starting points are connected with a gate
and a tunnel, through which the artists have conducted their explorations.
Ekebom explored her own dream experiences. Boulter explored the phenomena he
found in the tunnel of the river Ilisos. In their joint exhibition Ekebom and
Boulter bring out visual information from the other side of the dream gate and
a walk through the tunnel of the river Ilisos.
From the pitch-black environment Boulter digs out with
charcoal the little light that can be imagined in the tunnel. There are
penetrating roots appearing through the ceiling and collapsed sections of the
roof, the floor and the walls. It is possible to discover sources, drainage
pipes, Eridanos meeting Ilisos, rats and hundreds of cockroaches. The visual
language of the works tends to diverge from realism to the world of imagination
and illusion that cannot be avoided in the dim tunnel.
In Ekebom’s expression, the light travels concretely through
white paper and the apertures cut onto it. The cuts imitate the flow of the
rivers, the growth of the trees and the roots, the undulating tentacles of
jellyfish and the swim patterns of fish. Together with light, shadows extend
the visual dimensions of the dreams. Ekebom’s large-scale paper installation,
the dream gate itself, depicts the transition between two realities: being
awake and the dream world. However, not all experiences from the other side can
be brought to daylight.
The artists in general are often interested in how
experience, knowledge and memory are transferred from one side to another. In
the project, Ekebom and Boulter are intrigued by the things that connect this
and the other side, such as a source, a stream, or roots of the trees appearing
through the roof of the tunnel. Dreams also represent the ways in which the
soul’s landscape reflects the state of one’s mind. In this way, our memories of
the unconscious also form a type of steps down into a stream of dreams.
About Sebastian Boulter
The artistic background of
Finnish painter Sebastian Boulter includes working as a musician in independent
theatres, contemporary dance groups and different ensembles. He has worked as
an independent curator in cooperation with Cultural Affairs of Tampere City,
Finland and Artist’s Union of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Most recently, in 2018-2019 he worked for the Finnish Institute at
Athens as a curator and a cultural producer. Since 2000 he has held several
solo exhibitions and taken part of group exhibitions in Finland, Central Europe
and most recently in Greece. Nowadays Boulter lives and works as a painter in
Athens. He’s work often refers to environmental issues. He is interested in
manipulated landscapes by human beings and other traces and tracks that humans
leave behind them in nature as well as in cities. Boulter holds a Master degree
in painting from The Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Brussels, Belgium.
About Terhi Ekebom
Terhi Ekebom (b. 1971) is a Helsinki-based artist, graphic
designer and illustrator. She has studied at the Aalto University School of
Arts, Design and Architecture and the Metropolia (EVTEK) Institute of Art and
Design. As an artist, Ekebom is an open-minded experimenter who is equally at home
in the field of illustration, wall painting, public art and installations. She
works with different techniques and her works have been featured in numerous
exhibitions around the world, including Milan, Brussels, St. Petersburg, New
York and Chicago. Ekebom published her debut comic book A Cow’s Dream, in 2001,
and since that she has published various comic books, and participated in
international anthologies. The Finnish Comics Society awarded her the
Puupäähattu prize in 2014. She was the guest artist at the Rural Urban Art
Street Art Festival in Estonia 2019. She has made public art for example for
Helsinki University Main Library, Korkeakoski comprehensive school and Kerava
Art Museum. The paper as material is renewable, tactile and democratic as a
lo-fi method in the era of augmented reality, but with the right lighting it
can transform from mundane to magical. While exploring her wild dreams she does
not seek for explanations or truths, but rather observation and revelation.
About the gallery
Chili Art Gallery was founded in 2010 and is located in
Thission, the Historical and Archaeological Centre of Athens at the foot of
Acropolis, a breath away from the liveliest and more cultural part of the city
down town Gazi. Painting, sculpture, graphic art, photography, but also
ceramics, jewellery, micro sculptures and silk prints are being presented with
individual and group exhibitions of Greek and International artists. Find out
more at https://chiliart.gr
Media Sponsors
Venue: Chili Art Gallery 13-15 Dimofontos str. 11851
Thission, Athens
Opening/Vernissage: February 6, 2020 at 20:00
EXHIBITION OPENING DAYS/HOURS:
6 – 27 February 2020
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 10.30 - 18.00,
Saturday 11.00-15.00 Sunday closed