prizes
KARI Huhtamo
Sculptor Kari Huhtamo receives the Rovaniemi culture award
9.9.2003
The Rovaniemi city board of culture and the Rovaniemi County board of culture
and leisure granted sculptor Kari Huhtamo the mutual culture award of Rovaniemi
as a reward of long term artistic qualification.
Sculptor Kari Huhtamo has been granted the
Rovaniemi culture award
The Rovaniemi city board of culture
and the Rovaniemi County board of culture and leisure granted sculptor Kari
Huhtamo the mutual culture award of Rovaniemi as a reward of long term
artistic qualification.
The rewarding ceremony coincided the local
theme event “Rovaniemi –päivät” at the Rovaniemi Art Museum on Saturday,
September the 6th 2003 during “Taiteiden puolesta” (“On behalf of
Arts”) –event.
While assigning the award Mr.. Pertti
Heikkilä chairman of the Rovaniemi County culture and leisure board
expressed great respect for Huhtamo “The people granting this award are very
well aware of the challenge taken when growing to become a true professional
artist, from the Northern periphery of Finland”. It takes unconditional
devotion for work and endlessly sparkling glow of creativity. Huhtamo's
artistic personality and his journey of creativity prove that it's possible
to achieve the established goals and simultaneously set an encouraging
example for art learner generations to come.
Kari Huhtamo was born in Rovaniemi on
November 1st, 1943. He studied at the Finnish Art Academy School in
1961-1964 and has lived in Helsinki since 1961. Kari Huhtamo's claim to
fame has been sculpting. In addition to constructions, medals and portraits
his productions include lithographs and serigraphs as well as textile
productions. In the early years of his career he used as materials he used
wood, lightweight concrete and second-hand materials for his sculptures and
later, aluminum, plastic and bronze.
Starting in the 70's his main material became stainless steel. One of
Huhtamo's first public sculptures is the Reconstruction of Lapland 1945 -
1955 memorial in Rovaniemi, which he was appointed to carry out in 1969.
From the mid 1970's he has designed numerous public works, sculptures have
been ordered from him and he has successfully participated in sculpting
competitions.
Huhtamo's steel sculptures have been
described as being "cosmic graphics". According to Juhani Pallasmaa,
Huhtamo's sculptures are like drawings made into a space, like rhythmic
events in space. He appositely proposes that when speaking of Huhtamo's
sculptures it would be more suitable to speak of drawn sculptural art
instead of the traditional molding and sculpting process.
Huhtamo's works have also been said to
emphasize sensuality. The sculptures contain hidden figurativeness - human
forms, rhythmicness of insects and plants and other references to nature.
Although the spectator often finds something recognizable, the abstract
works remain open to new interpretations.
Huhtamo' s style has often been described as
being "Huhtamo-like", which tells a great deal of the originality of his
art . The abstract language of forms derives itself from the tradition of
modern sculpture, and one of Huhtamo's most recognizable characteristics is
the free, expressive exploration of forms. The central elements in his
graphic prints, textile works and sculptures are multiform geometric and
organic shapes as well as the straight ål1d curved lines that give them
their rhythm.
(9.9.2003 / Rovaniemen kaupunki)
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