Meta Isæus-Berlin – The Philosopher

Meta Isæus-Berlin (b. 1963) is one of Sweden’s most central contemporary artists. On several occasions, she has represented Sweden on the international art scene, including the Venice and Istanbul biennales. Her work will be exhibited in Finland for the first time, in the extensive solo exhibition The Philosopher at Kuntsi Museum of Modern Art 2.11.2024–30.3.2025.

The artist has repeatedly dealt with the theme of home in her artwork. As material, the artist has used the familiar furniture of the home, around which the family is both physically and psychologically intertwined – the memory of her father baking or her grandmother’s bed, which discomfort she did not question.

A selection of approximately 50 works represents the artist’s production of over 30 years that includes drawings, assemblages, textile works, large-scale installations, sculptures and paintings. The use of different materials characterizes her work, where the everyday furniture is subtly loaded with universal meanings. At the breakfast table, one has not only eaten, but the memory recalls the charged atmosphere of the home. The exhibition’s key work The Philosopher is a self-portrait. The artist’s childhood was marked by several philosophical thoughts from Kant to Wittgenstein. As a result, the artist has created her own philosophy that gives the exhibition its name.

In her work, the artist has repeatedly returned to a chaotic flooding bathroom, as in Awakening III built for Kuntsi. From an art historical perspective, it refers to Marcel Duchamp’s legendary urinal Fountain (1917), but the Swedish artist has visually recreated life’s tumult and daily disorder that occasionally affects us all.  In the large-scale paintings, Isæus-Berlin is presented as a storyteller and a colorist. The content of the paintings does not shy away from negative emotions, such as the dark, bottomless gap that drains all energy. The paintings also visualize what can be difficult to talk about, such as the uncertainty of youth or the reality of teenagers. The walls of the home enclose experiences, emotions and life’s uncertainties. Meta Isæus-Berlin succeeds in loading the delicate majesty of matter into a chair or bed and the intimacy with a taste of life in her paintings.

In addition to the artist’s own works and the installation created especially for the exhibition, the exhibition will also include works from both museums and private collections. The exhibition will only be shown in Vaasa. The exhibition including a publication has been produced by Vaasa City Museums in collaboration with the artist and it has been curated by Maaria Salo and Janna Sirén. The exhibition is supported by the Finnish Heritage Agency.

Meta Isæus-Berlin, Chair beside Bed, 2020. Helsingborgs Museum. Photo: Prallan Allsten.

 

Meta Isæus-Berlin, The Philosopher, 2022. Photo: Björn Petrén.

 

Livet är en enda stor vattenskada Publication by Peter Lüttge at Yle