Tuula Närhinen
Tuula Närhinen's (b. 1967, lives and works in Helsinki) work explores the physical and conceptual underpinnings of pictorial representation. She constructs experimental visual interfaces that connect the observer with the fabric of the world. Images that emerge from this interaction unravel the inherent pictorial potential in naturally occurring events. Närhinen constructs simple low-tech devices and uses various (photo)graphic techniques that enable us to move beyond the explicit and grasp the unfurling of a world invisible to the naked eye. The installations showcase the instruments and methods implicated, encouraging the spectator to participate in the re-presentation of an event.
Närhinen has exhibited actively in Finland and internationally. She is a graduate of the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki (MFA), and the University of Technology (M.Sc. in Architecture). She is currently finalising a practice-led doctoral research at the University of the Arts in Helsinki.
Närhinen was originally proposed for Frontiers by the curatorial team at Mustarinda, and was later invited for two residencies at CAN, d'Arte i Natura in Farrera, Catalonian High Pyrenees.
for Frontiers in Retreat, Tuula developed a specific project Local (2014–). For the project, she wanted to investigate her environment through different elements. She anchored her studies of winds, earth, water, rock formations and the colours of the mountaintops and valleys in the village of Farrera, Catalonia, where she completed two residencies in October 2014 and April 2016. The project is planned to continue in another Frontiers site in 2017.