Artist Interview | Grönlund-Nisunen

Flow with Matter

Shanghai Minsheng Art Museum is going on an extensive retrospective exhibition Flow with Matter of works by Grönlund-Nisunen. Along with the earlier production of the artist duo, the exhibition also includes new artworks. The internationally acknowledged artists Tommi Grönlund (b. 1967) and  Petteri Nisunen (b. 1962) have showcased their works in numerous private and group exhibitions both in Finland and abroad.

With their backgrounds in architecture, Grönlund-Nisunen’s art addresses issues of space and physical phenomena, such as gravity, magnetism or the movement of light, through the sophisticated installations. Using technology, sound and light as the primary material, their precisely constructed artworks crystallise and encapsulate these phenomena we tend to regard as self-evident.

To understand the works better, we invite the Hi Art to do an interview with Grönlund-Nisunen.

Hi: This is your first solo exhibition in Asia. How are you feeling? What’s your impression of China?

We feel fortunate to have this exhibition in Shanghai Minsheng Art Museum and look forward to exhibit also elsewhere in China. Our impression of China is based only on few recent visits to Shanghai and Hangzhou, so it is rather limited but definitely a positive one.

Hi: When you first came to Minsheng Art Museum, how did that space impress you?

When I first visited the museum, it was still located in the former French Expo Pavilion in other part of Shanghai. That was architecturally interesting building, but it would have been rather challenging to exhibit our work in there. It was great to see the new museum space for first time. We both like this kind of old industrial architecture, and I think the space is perfect for our exhibition.

Hi: The name of the exhibition is Flow with Matter. Is matter a very important element in your art works? Why?

The idea of the title and it´s Chinese translation is to underline the immersive and meditative aspects of our work, and thus make it more approachable to the local audience. Our works are often based on close observation and study of various natural phenomena, and in that sense the title also refers to our close connection to rest of nature. This has lately become very evident due climate change and coronavirus. Although we share interest on various aspects of matter, our works often make use elements which are considered immaterial, such as light, sound and magnetism.

Hi: Horizon, lunar eclipse, Ciclón, Orbita…You pay a lot of attention to the nature. Why are there so much natural elements in your art works?

As I tried to explain before, we are interested in various natural phenomena, which determine the surroundings in which we live. Even in this digital era. We tend to keep the titles simple and plain not to guide viewers perception and interpretation too much. The audience is free to interpret our works in their own way.

Hi: Your works often look minimal, restrained and rational. Have you ever worried about that they lacked emotional tension?

Notreally. Through use of minimal esthetics and rational approach, we simply aim to avoid extra disturbance and to direct focus in the very core of the work. However, personally I don´t agree with the idea that minimal esthetics necessarily prevents emotional tension.

Hi: Why is sound such an important factor in the work？

Sound is an important factor because it is an integral part of the way in which we experience our surroundings. Many of our works are multisensory by nature and should be experienced both trough visual and aural sense, sometimes also by touch. Referring to the previous question, for me sound is most primary, direct and unintentional way to perceive emotions. In our visual perception we are more bound to symbols and metaphors in interpreting what we see.    

I know that Tommi Grönlund is founder of Sahko Recordings. Do music and artistic creation interact each other?

Our artistic practice and the label are clearly two separate things, but since Tommi runs it in our studio, there are of course connections between them, especially for him. Unlike in music, the sounds used in our work are only one part of the whole. The sound material we use of is very seldom composed but rather controlled through various random processes. There are some exceptions to this, though. Our sound works typically study behavior of sound waves as natural phenomena and acoustics of the exhibition space. The sounds are often produced mechanically by the kinetic work itself.

Hi: Why is sound such an important factor in the work？

Sound is an important factor because it is an integral part of the way in which we experience our surroundings. Many of our works are multisensory by nature and should be experienced both trough visual and aural sense, sometimes also by touch. Referring to the previous question, for me sound is most primary, direct and unintentional way to perceive emotions. In our visual perception we are more bound to symbols and metaphors in interpreting what we see. 

Hi: From architect to artist, how did this transition happen?

We had our first exhibitions in 1993, just one year after I graduated as an architect. The same year Tommi and I established our own office with three other partners, and before that I had already worked in several architect offices. Roughly speaking, I was working simultaneously as an architect and an artist until turn of the millennium, and after that my focus has been mainly in art.

Hi: As a duo, do you have a division of labor in the process of finishing the work？

Not a strict one. Our working process is still rather chaotic and who does what changes case by case. In general, Tommi is better in working with sound files and photographs, whereas I am more at home with spatial and structural issues and customed in doing working drawings and taking care of production.

Hi: Did the Covid-19 make you have any new thoughts or art creations?

The coronavirus has naturally brought new ideas in mind, but we didn´t have a chance to produce any for this exhibition. The works were already decided and even packed before the news of the virus broke out. On the other hand, in situation like this the ideas that come to ones mind are easily obvious ones. Let´s see if any of them feel good enough to be realized in the end.

On purely practical level the virus had large impact on this exhibition. We are used to being at site for the hole mounting process and doing last minute decisions when needed, but this time it was not possible. Luckily I had a chance to do long visit to the museum in turn of November and December last year and to discuss details trough with curator, museum staff and sub-contractor who in charge of mounting.

Hi: When it comes to Helsinki, maybe the first thing most people think of is the long night or the cold weather. Does the city's temperament have a subtle influence on your artistic creation?

This totally depends on the season. This time of the year nights are short, and the weather is warm. In December it is completely different. One somehow manages trough the dark and long winter months and truly wakes up in the spring. This continuous change of surroundings naturally affects your mentality and thus the work you do. I must add though, that our art isn´t typically Finnish and there are artists interested similar issues all over the world. So, it is not only the weather to blame.

Hi: You've been practicing contemporary art for more than 20 years from the 1990s to the present. What has changed in those 20 years? What hasn’t changed?

World in general has changed so much. From my point of view mostly for the better, except for the climate issues, but some recent nationalistic developments are scary. Technology has also taken immense leaps. In the beginning of our career internet and digitalization took their first steps.

The art world has globalized, one proof of which is our current exhibition in Shanghai. There are more and more of international exhibitions and biennials all over the world, and international residency programs and students exchange programs make it easy for artist to travel globally to learn about different cultures and to get new influences. I was for five years a Professor of Contemporary Art in Aalto University in Finland and ran an international MA-program together with my colleagues. It was great to work in the multicultural community of students from all over the world and support them in their work.

The art market is also globalizing and in Europe it is more difficult for small commercial galleries to survive, but there are lot of non-profit organizations and spaces doing interesting work. This is possible mainly through public support and grant systems, which are common in most European countries.

From my point of view, what has not changed is the passion and commitment in which artists do their work, whatever context they work in or media they use. This gives me hope for the future.

 About artists

Tommi Grönlund and Petteri Nisunen, both live and work in Helsinki, are one of the representative contemporary artists of Finland. Both came from architectural background, Grönlund and Nisunen have been engaged in interdisciplinary creation in contemporary art, architecture and sound art since their first collaboration in the 1990s. Major prizes they won include: Leonardo da Vinci World Award of Arts (2013), Edstrandska Stiftelsen (2003), Finnish State Awards for Arts (2001), etc. Major exhibitions they participated in include: Manifesta 1, the 49th Venice Biennial (Nordic Pavilion), the 3rd Moscow Biennial of Contemporary Art, the 5th Marrakech Biennale , the 27th São Paulo Biennial, the 1st Yokohama Triennial, etc. Their works have been collected by major art museums worldwide, include: Helsinki Museum of Contemporary Art (KIASMA), The Contemporary Art Museum of Luxembourg(MUDAM), Espoo Museum of Modern Art(EMMA), etc.

About curator

MA Nan, now living in Hangzhou. Graduated from the Institute of Contemporary Art and Social Thoughts, China Academy of Art with Ph.D. Interested in social and cultural mechanism of displaying culture and the relationship of media and perception. Since 2010, she has been engaged in curatorial studies/practice and translation. Major projects curated include: “Writing Non-writing: Hangzhou International Modern Calligraphy Art Festival" (Hangzhou), “Tribute 2018: Future Media/Art Manifesto" (Strasbourg, France), “Light that Occupied and Forgotten: Jimei-Arles International Photography Festival" (Xiamen), “Meme City: 1st Intermedia Art Festival" (Hangzhou), “Museum Cellar, The Invisible Hand: Curating as Gesture, CAFA Art Museum Biennale”(Beijing), etc.