"ECHOING"
Ninni Wager
Yö Galleria, 29.11-11.12.2024
Vernissage 28.11.2024 at 18:00
The exhibition ECHOING portrays interactions between the sea and the seabed through kinetic sculpture and video. The works have been created through an open and exploratory process; a deepening into the sculptural elements of the sea and the forces that shape it. The concept of echo, usually associated with the reverberation of sound, is reinterpreted in the exhibition as a visual expression, of transitions of movement and form.
The video works present process-led landscape observations of surface movements and seabed formation. In the kinetic sculpture, the movement of water and sediment has been dramatized using pumps and streamers in an aquarium. The aquarium offers an aesthetic opportunity to observe movement and form in three dimensions, thanks to the transparent glass surfaces, the cleaned sand, and the clear water.
In nature, ocean eutrophication and the increasing amount of sludge sinking to the bottom cause oxygen and light depletion, which can gradually alter the balance of the ecosystem. The sludge makes the water murky with the slightest touch, and clarity can take days to restore. The works illustrate the mutual dynamics between water and the seabed, where both elements not only react to each other but also create aesthetic and cinematic expressions that emphasize the power of movement and the language of form.
The movement of water is an active force that can stir up stagnant material in its environment.
The series of works had a starting point in 2022 at the Baltic Sea, in the Korpo archipelago. During a residency at Pro Artibus, I followed the research of Åbo Akademi marin biologists at the Archipelago Research Centre Korpoström for six months. During the residency, I accompanied the researchers on their fieldwork at sea and at the research station, and underwent diver training to access the depths of the sea.
The research is part of a global project investigating the effects of marine heatwaves on eelgrass meadows (Zostera marina), which are important carbon sinks in the world’s oceans. The decline of these meadows is concerning, and researchers are searching for causes and methods to prevent the loss of these habitats.
My interest in the sea, its ecosystems, and human impact on its condition has led me to the ABOAGORA 'Wind' symposium, the SOS seminar, and to follow the marine project at Åbo Akademi. These international, interdisciplinary seminars and long-term projects have broadened my understanding of the complexity of the sea and how deeply human activity impacts it.
The exhibition is supported by:
Suomen Kulttuurirahasto, Svenska Kulturfonden, Svenska Konstsamfundet, Pro Artibus, Akvaariolinna
BIO
Ninni Wager (MFA) is a multimedia artist focusing on poetic interpretations of phenomena through sculpture and video. Wager graduated from the faculty of time and space at the University of the Arts, Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki, and has studied intermedia art and painting at the Swedish University of Applied Sciences in Nykarleby. She is a member of the artist associations MUU ry (FIN), FKSE (HU), and YÖ ry (FIN). Wager has collaborated in various artistic collectives, such as the artist duo Airbakers, the artist group The Randomroutines, and with visual artist Kristin Wiking. Her works have been exhibited in, among other places at Porvoo Kunsthalle, Ateneum National Gallery in Helsinki, Műcsarnok Kunsthalle in Budapest, and the Independent Art Fair in Athens.