Artist Meeting with Roland Persson on 20 January at the Ostrobothnian Museum

The Ostrobothnian Museum will host an Artist Meeting with Swedish artist Roland Persson on Saturday 20 January 2024 – at 13:00 in Swedish and 15:00 in English. Twisted Realities is produced by the City of Vaasa Museums in collaboration with the artist. This is the artist’s first museum solo exhibition in Finland. The exhibition includes several ensembles in which the artist explores the apparent naturalistic-realistic illusions of the works as reflections of reality, and comments on them with new works created for this exhibition.

In addition to the Artist Meeting, the museum will also host a discussion between Persson and local artist Simon Gripenberg, entitled “Brutality and Caring”. The artists will discuss two different approaches to nature, and the relationship between art and nature. Persson and Gripenberg also talk about art for animals and nature, as well as animal and nature art, and consider which forms of exhibition are relevant, and which forms of expression can truly build understanding. At the end, the audience will have an opportunity to comment on the matters discussed and to ask questions.

The sculptor Roland Persson combines three-dimensional hyperrealism and conceptual constructions in a magical way. While he says he describes his subjects directly, the emotion-driven metaphors develop into his art as if on their own accord. Persson’s works contain elements of ambivalence, romanticism, and alienation. The works convey experiences through poetic visuals, but also through the pain and fragility of seeing things differently. The exhibition relates to parallel realities, such as the natural science section on the ground floor of the museum, reality, and the unconscious.

Simon Gripenberg is a Nordic artist and sculptor with a technical background. He works on everything from small-scale experimental projects to larger permanent sculptures. His art often deals with serious issues such as the environment and climate, but in a solution-oriented and playful way.

Programme:

13:00 Artist Meeting in Swedish with Roland Persson

14:00 Roland Persson and Simon Gripenberg – Brutality and Caring

15:00 Artist Meeting in English with Roland Persson

Roland Persson’s exhibition Twisted Realities will be on display at the Ostrobothnian Museum until 31 March 2024.