Eija-Liisa Ahtila

Eija-Liisa Ahtila’s third commissioned work for Serlachius is “Reflection of a Forest,” an eight-channel installation with the forest playing a central role. Ahtila continues to challenge the narrative of moving images and the human-centric perspective. She seeks ways of representation and expression that can create a more balanced picture of the living reality of our planet.

Ahtila and her team have filmed the work over three years in various parts of Southern Finland. The piece does not have a traditional narrative but rather events and situations. Its central theme is the spatiality of the forest: how diverse life intertwines in the forest space and forms a connection of existence. The work features various living beings and their fictional thoughts and speech.

The state of emergency in the environment affects our choices, ways of thinking and perceiving, as well as the role of culture and art in society. The starting point of the work is the shared spatial existence of different living beings – life maintained together.

The duration of the work is 50 minutes. It is presented at Serlachius Manor starting at 11:30, 12:30, 13:30, 14:30, 15:30, and 16:30.

ARTIST EIJA-LIISA AHTILA

Eija-Liisa Ahtila (b. 1959) is internationally Finland’s most renowned contemporary artist. She is known as a pioneer of video art, focusing on works that move in the border line between film and video art. She has uniquely understood the possibilities of moving images as an artistic medium. At the same time, she has continuously produced installations, drawings, photographs, and spatial art.

Ahtila’s works have been exhibited in internationally significant museums such as MoMA in New York, Tate Modern in London, Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin, and Jeu de Paume in Paris. Her works have also been displayed at major contemporary art festivals, including the Venice, Sydney, and São Paulo Biennales and Documenta in Kassel.

For Serlachius, she has previously created the commissions “Studies on the Ecology of Drama” (2014) and “Potentiality of Love” (2018). These works have later been exhibited around the world.

Eija-Liisa Ahtila has received numerous recognitions for her work as an artist. In 2009, she was named an academician of art at the age of just 49. She has been awarded, among others, as Commander, First Class, of the Order of the White Rose of Finland in 2020, the Pro Finlandia Medal in 2005, the Artes Mundi Prize in 2006 and Vincent Van Gogh Award for Contemporary Art in Europe in 2000, and Honorary Mention, 48th Venice Biennale, Italy in 1999. 

She has also received several film awards, and has been a Golden Lion jyry member at Venice International Film Festival in 2011. She has also received The Honorary Doctorate of Media Arts  from Ionian University, Greece in 2019, and from Aalto University of Applied Arts, Finland in 2018.

REFLECTION OF A FOREST

Written and directed by Eija-Liisa Ahtila
Produced by Ilppo Pohjola

Cast      
Eetu Ahtila, Nora Dadu, Sue Lemström, Mitra Matouf
Voice over: Laura Birn, Marika Parkkomäki, Aije Zhou

Key crew
Cinematography by Antti Ruusuvuori, Pekka Uotila
Editing by Heikki Kotsalo
Production design by Tiina Paavilainen
Costume design by Johanna Vainio
Sound design by Olli Pärnänen
Colorist: Pentti Keskimäki
Image post prooduction by Jari Hakala

© Crystal Eye – Kristallisilmä Oy

Reflection of a Forest is a commission for Gösta Serlachius Fine Arts Foundation.

Main image: Eija-Liisa Ahtila, Reflection of a Forest, 2024, 8-channel video installation with changing number of projections. Courtesy Gösta Serlachius Fine Arts Foundation. Photo: Sampo Linkoneva, Serlachius