Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu:

Serenity is woven in the detailed perfection of her works. In her print works, Irma Tuulikki Tonteri, a teacher of Graphics Art at Pekka Hslonen Academy, Finland revels in the scope for shapes and forms. Her works are exhibited alongside the works of three of her students at Gallery Moksh, Hardic Fitness Centre, Pulchowk. Prints have a long history in Finland but in Nepal, development of art in printwork is still limited. This exhibition shows the beauty of printworks and their scope for expression. “My work reveals my interest in sign, orgnamental detail, writing – marks left by time and people,” states the artist. Irma fuses signs and symbols with the significance of experiences in life. She concentrates on individual pieces and emphasises more on the paper; “tinting, folding, gluing”.

Layer by layer, the creation develops and becomes a story. Irma has passed on this feeling for artwork and individuality to her students. The three young girls — Laura Sarkkinen, Maija Nukari and Aurora Komonen — express a more individualistic feeling of being young and exploring life. They believe in art being a process of expression and not just the final product.

Laura’s favourite subject is the human and its beauty inside and out. To her, everyday of her stay in Nepal has been “magical”. Her works are closer to nature with an in-your-face manipulation for effect.

Maija derives inspiration from strong visual impact. She shares a love for nature and life, fascinated by symbolic representation. Her ‘Untitled’ works of woodcarving are inspiring with a spiritual feel. For her, life in the streets of Kathmandu is vivid with sounds that never cease.

Aurora loves trying out different ways to work, experimenting with possible perspectives in one particular subject. “My ideas come from a wide scale of feelings, thoughts and things,” she says. The exhibition continues till May 29.