Mika Taanila
THE EARTH WHO FELL TO MAN
March 17, 2018 – April 28, 2018
The living possibilities of incompleteness emerge as a kind of unifying theme in Taanila’s works. The director readily directs his gaze on history. Among other things, he has uncovered testimonials in film and sound archives to remarkable projects in the sciences and arts, which irrespective of their outcomes are exciting expressions of creativity. The show "The Earth Who Fell to Man" comprises the eponymous video installation as well as the films "Optical Sound" and "My Silence".Mika Taanila’s body of work denotes a world in which artistic expressions cohere beautifully, and is an astonishingly consistent and stimulating state of discovery. It is enticing to enter into a dimension of thought, images and sounds in which the occasion of viewing and hearing gives birth to physical reverberations and glimpses of other possible modes of consciousness. Taanila’s ever expanding oeuvre of music videos, documentary films, and experimental shorts may perhaps never reach completion. These works complement, deepen and render more complex each other as if to form a crucial collage of human consciousness at the beginning of the twenty-first century.
By reaching back in to history, seemingly innocently unaware of past eras, Mika Taanila is able to breathe life into the reality of ideas and utopias. As Taanila discovers thoughts, images and sounds, which aspire to perpetual motion, his own body of work itself has begun to promise a continual flow of energy. When delving into contemporary phenomena, Taanila’s works occupy a class of their own in terms of intensity. Amidst the audiovisual chaos that unceasingly spews forth disposable imagery, Taanila’s films invite re-examination. Their effects cannot be measured in minutes, as their dynamism is not held hostage to form.
While depicting the world of computers and artificial intelligence, Taanila’s films engage in obvious battle against all mechanical activity. For example, Optical sound is based on a symphony in which the sound of matrix printers has been used as a source, as well as the philosophy propounded by the electronic music pioneer Erkki Kurenniemi in Taanila’s documentary "The Future Is Not What It Used To Be": "As long as we are able to employ technology in our own way and able to carnivalise it, we will not become subordinate to its power." (Eero Tammi/Translation Jason O’Neill)
Mika Taanila lives and works in Finland as a filmmaker and visual artist. His works have been exhibited in important international group shows, including Aichi Triennale (2013), dOCUMENTA (2012), the Shanghai Biennale (2006), the Berlin Biennale (2004), Mika Taanila is among the representatives of the Nordic Pavilion at the 57th International Art Exhibition, the Venice Biennale.
By reaching back in to history, seemingly innocently unaware of past eras, Mika Taanila is able to breathe life into the reality of ideas and utopias. As Taanila discovers thoughts, images and sounds, which aspire to perpetual motion, his own body of work itself has begun to promise a continual flow of energy. When delving into contemporary phenomena, Taanila’s works occupy a class of their own in terms of intensity. Amidst the audiovisual chaos that unceasingly spews forth disposable imagery, Taanila’s films invite re-examination. Their effects cannot be measured in minutes, as their dynamism is not held hostage to form.
While depicting the world of computers and artificial intelligence, Taanila’s films engage in obvious battle against all mechanical activity. For example, Optical sound is based on a symphony in which the sound of matrix printers has been used as a source, as well as the philosophy propounded by the electronic music pioneer Erkki Kurenniemi in Taanila’s documentary "The Future Is Not What It Used To Be": "As long as we are able to employ technology in our own way and able to carnivalise it, we will not become subordinate to its power." (Eero Tammi/Translation Jason O’Neill)
Mika Taanila lives and works in Finland as a filmmaker and visual artist. His works have been exhibited in important international group shows, including Aichi Triennale (2013), dOCUMENTA (2012), the Shanghai Biennale (2006), the Berlin Biennale (2004), Mika Taanila is among the representatives of the Nordic Pavilion at the 57th International Art Exhibition, the Venice Biennale.
Exhibition
March 17 – April 28, 2018
Opening reception:
Saturday, March 17, 2018, 3–8 pm
3 pm
Opening reception
4 pm
Welcome address
Hot soup
Traditional buns by bakery Bisegger
6 pm
Exhibition tour
Sunday, March 18, 2018, 11 am–4 pm
Long weekend:
Saturday, April 14, 2018, 11 am–9 pm
Sunday, April 15, 2018, 11 am–4 pm
Opening hours:
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 2–6 pm
Saturday 11 am–4 pm
and by appointment
Opening reception:
Saturday, March 17, 2018, 3–8 pm
3 pm
Opening reception
4 pm
Welcome address
Hot soup
Traditional buns by bakery Bisegger
6 pm
Exhibition tour
Sunday, March 18, 2018, 11 am–4 pm
Long weekend:
Saturday, April 14, 2018, 11 am–9 pm
Sunday, April 15, 2018, 11 am–4 pm
Opening hours:
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 2–6 pm
Saturday 11 am–4 pm
and by appointment
Special
Screening of Tectonic Plate on the big screen in the gallery:
Easter Saturday, March 31, 2018, 6 pm (ca. 74 min)
Free of charge
Registration recommended: mail@0010.ch
Easter Saturday, March 31, 2018, 6 pm (ca. 74 min)
Free of charge
Registration recommended: mail@0010.ch