‘Tuokioita I-VI’

Above: ‘Tuokioita VI’, 6th floor (photos Antti Raatikainen)

‘Tuokioita I-VI’

A multi-part ceramic wall relief ensembles
Material: porcelain, stoneware, Finnish red earthenware, bioresin, fiber optic
Size: 110 x 150 x 3 cm and 110 x 400 x 3 cm / work / floor
Year: 2024
Client: Helsinki University Hospital HUS
Architect: Architect Group Reino Koivula, Inc.


'Tuokioita I-VI’ (‘Moments I-VI’ in english) is a multi-part, collage-like series ensemble of ceramic reliefs spread over six floors. The works, located in the elevator lobbies on the 1st-6th floors of the A-wing of the Women's Hospital of Helsinki University Hospital and on the adjacent corridor walls, consist of various shapes and textures, forming detailed, abstract illustration-like ensembles. The works have been made as an invited artist.

The starting point of the reliefs have been the colors and architectural elements characteristic of the building's style period, as well as the various imaginary stories that the walls of the building hold inside. I have sought human features and allusive human figures in the works through shapes. The human body is also visible in the works in organic surface textures and shapes. Each elevator lobby has a few illuminated parts made of light-transmitting bioresin. Light has been used to emphasize some architectural or story details.

Visually, the works are divided into three sections. The ensembles of the polyclinic floors (1st and 4th floors) are inspired by architecture, and the emphasis is on bright colors and the shapes and textures of the building. The relief in the maternity ward (2nd floor) is inspired by the human body, forming a whole with warm, soft colors and bodily textures. The ensembles of the inpatient wards (3rd, 5th and 6th floors) combine shapes inspired by architecture and the human body, where contrasts are emphasized. The works in the procedure rooms have been implemented as ceiling works and are selections from moments that are depicted in the ensembles of the elevator lobbies.

Above: ‘Tuokioita V’, 5th floor (photos Antti Raatikainen)

Above: ‘Tuokioita IV’, 4th floor (photos Antti Raatikainen)

Above: ‘Tuokioita III’, 3rd floor (photos Antti Raatikainen)

Above: ‘Tuokioita II’, 2nd floor (photos Antti Raatikainen)

Above: ‘Tuokioita I’, 1st floor (photos Antti Raatikainen)