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Art center Ahjo, Hiili -space: Jenny Vesiväki
WU WEI
JENNY VESIVÄKI
10.7. - 28.7.2024, HIILI -SPACE
Jenny Vesiväki's exhibition is a collection of works made with different techniques, inspired by the ancient Chinese principle, wu wei. In its simplest form, wu wei means action without effort. The deepest essence of Wu Wei is not necessarily a sense-perceived way of doing things, but the creator's inner state of mind. So it refers to the author's way of being. When Wu Wei prevails, doing is balanced, free and spontaneous. It is like a centipede's walk; if a centipede were to start thinking about how its many legs keep in rhythm, it would surely stumble. Wu Wei neither tries nor hesitates. There is peace, quiet confidence and fluidity in the operation.
In her artistic work, Vesiväki often found herself in a dead end through his thoughts. Critical thinking, questioning, and excessive clinging to goals began to disrupt the creative process. The power of the permissive gesture came to the rescue. What if, instead of pushing, work was approached through allowing? After experiencing several successes after giving up trying hard and pushing Vesiväki became convinced of the power of the gesture. Soon, she found a description of what to do in Lao Tzu's thousands-year-old work Tao te ching. The study of Taoist thought further led to Zen, and supported by these old philosophies, a new space for creative work and being was born, where the artist wants to live and work.
The works in the exhibition embody a paradoxical striving for a permissive gesture.
The work has been supported by the Koneen Säätiö. Some of the works have been completed in the recidence of Saari mansion.
