Visual artist Villu Jaanisoo has made wonderful portraits of famous Finnish writers Minna Canth and Maria Jotuni on the walls of the Kuopio City Theater. The portraits made of Durat pieces are multi-layered works with an edged surface. The highlights of light and shadow have been created with different colour shades of Durat.
"My idea was that the Durat pieces are like leaves fallen from a tree, which are like by accident formed image of a face," explains Jaanisoo.
The portraits displayed in the theater foyer have been executed by Jaanisoo in a mask style directly from the front. The artist felt that mask-like works fit into the theater world.
Durat was selected as the material for the works, because Jaanisoo believes that he would not have found ready-made tones in any other material to fit the color scheme of the works. "Working was very painterly and it was crucially important to have enough material and colour shades at hand."
At the announcement event, Durat's chairman of the board Kari Karppinen stated that cooperation with Villu Jaanisoo has been a great honor for the company. "It has been a pleasure to donate the material to such an ambitious project and it's great to see how high-quality art works have come out of them."
Siberian Jay glows in Durat colours
In Helsinki's residential area Kalasatama, in a prominent site at the street corner of Junonkatu and Leonkatu, stands a Siberian Jay sculpture over six meters high. Artist Villu Jaanisoo has made Siberian Jay's "feather surface" from numerous Durat pieces of different colours and shapes.
Durat was chosen as the material, not only because of its recycling properties, but also because it was possible to find the grey and brown tones characteristic of bird´s plumage. Jaanisoo went to choose the pieces he wanted from the Durat factory in Rymättylä. He himself has worked each piece to fit his sculpture. About 5 tons of Durat material have been needed to make the bird.
According to Jaanisoo, the work is inspired by the special characteristics ascribed to the Siberian Jay in Finnish folklore. Siberian Jay, the 'bird of the soul', has been described as a friend and guardian of those who stroll in the forest. Various profound meanings were given to it or seeing it.
Villu Jaanisoo is a skillful with large sculptures and many different materials. Built on a steel frame, the nose and legs of the piece are made of stainless steel.
Siberian Jay has stood firmly in place since 2016.
Villu Jaanisoo (b.1963, Tallinn) is one of the leading sculptors in our country. He has realized several public works both in Finland and abroad. Jaanisoo works as a professor of sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki, and his works are in the collections of several major art museums.
Siberian Jay is a sculpture commissioned by the Helsinki City Office and belongs to the collections of the HAM Helsinki Art Museum.
He was invited to Kuopio to work when a major art project was launched in connection with the renovation and expansion of the city theater.
