Saara Ekström

Amplifier, 17:03 min, B&W, Dolby SR 5.1, Finland, 2017

Saara Ekström lives and works in Turku, Finland. She studied at Turku Drawing School (Turku Arts Academy) in Finland during 1983–86 and at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, the United States during 1995–97. In her video, photography and installation works, Ekström is interested in natural and artificial materials that embody strong symbolic values. She has participated in several national and international exhibitions since 1986. She was a candidate for the Ars Fennica Award in 2002 and the artist of the year of Helsinki Festival in 2005. Ekström’s extensive solo exhibitions have been seen at Amos Anderson Art Museum in 2005 and at Contemporary Art Museum Kiasma in 2011. Her works are represented in many collections in Finland and internationally.

Time inevitably moves from past to future, passing the present moment. Mankind encloses to time its marks, stains and ruins. On the verge of vast changes time acts abnormally. It leaks, folds and fractures, allowing things belonging elsewhere, to the otherworldly, to
permeate itself. In the 8mm film the Helsinki Olympic Stadium represents a historical paradigm shift. Completed in 1938 the building outlines pure functionalist architecture and stands as a landmark for optimistic utopia and the oblivion on man’s neglect of history.