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Kirsi Jokelainen

Open Doors

Kirsi Jokelainen

Pihkapuiston ala-asteen koulu, Pihkatie 11, 00410 Helsinki

Indoor Sculpture

The installation by Kirsi Jokelainen (b. 1970, Oulu) on the wall of Pihkapuisto Primary School consists of four large paintings collectively entitled Open Doors. The largest of them is 28 metres long and takes paper dolls and their costumes as its theme. Another wall painting explores the stages of life, from childhood to old age. It begins with a musical clef, but instead of a musical staff, the artwork continues in the form of a hopscotch grid. At the beginning of the grid is a crawling playsuit, while a rocking chair awaits at the other end.

The grid reappears in the third work, painted on the wall of the staircase and exploring roles and opportunities. The first three works are painted directly onto the wall, while the fourth is a three-piece oil painting on canvas. About two metres long, it is richer in motifs than the other three works.

All four paintings present life as a series of opportunities among everyday activities, at home and over the course of a lifetime. Jokelainen’s imagery in the paintings is plain, their motifs familiar from children’s games.

The work was produced under the Percent for Art programme, and it belongs to the collection of the City of Helsinki, managed by HAM Helsinki Art Museum.

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