Anu Pentik – In the beginning there was a seed
Installations by Anu Pentik combining ceramics and wood will take over WAM. The summer exhibition, Anu Pentik – In the beginning there was a seed, showcases Pentik’s latest artistic works. In this narrative exhibition planned for the museum’s premises, ceramics skilfully transform into everything from floating seeds to charred trees according to themes related to the life cycle.
Tonnes of clay and hundreds of metres of logs
The desire and burning enthusiasm towards testing the boundaries of ceramics have taken Pentik from a ceramics factory to large installations, which were last showcased at Kunsthalle Helsinki in 2017. Inspired by the success at Kunsthalle, she has been working on the exhibition that will be showcased at WAM for a little over two years. According to the artist, she has used more than 400 metres of logs that are almost 200 years old, 900 kilos of stoneware clay, 800 kilos of slip and 600 kilos of paper porcelain for making the works.
Journey to art
Anu Pentik (b. 1942), who has been awarded the Pro Finlandia medal, has walked an eventful and colourful path, from design and utility ceramics to artistic work, which she has been focusing on for the last decade. The artist, who lives and works in Posio, looks at her surroundings with sensitive eyes. Her works are inspired by the animals, colours and shapes of the nature in Lapland but, above all, by the shades of the life she has led.
Photo: Museum Centre of Turku.