Sonja Hinrichsen - Kone Foundation

I am an artist based in San Francisco and received my art education in the United States (San Francisco Art Institute, MFA) and in Germany (Academy of Art and Design Stuttgart). In my artwork I examine urban and natural environments through exploration and research. My work manifests in immersive video installations and interventions in nature. As an artist I feel the responsibility to address subject matters our society tends to neglect or deny, including adverse environmental impacts. While I aim to provoke thought and engage my audiences intellectually, I am not interested in creating lasting artworks, as I believe that our planet is over-saturated with man-made products. I like to unfold my work into large immersive experiences, however I prefer that it live on in its documentation only, and – hopefully – in the memories of my audiences.

At Saari I plan to conduct Snow Drawings, a project that engages communities in the creation of immense drawings that stretch across snow landscapes. The drawings are created by walking lines into pristine snow surfaces with snowshoes. The project relies on community participation and combines collaborative art-making with exciting winter outdoor activity. I am planning several Snow Drawings events in the Saari, Turku and possibly Helsinki vicinity – ideally on the frozen archipelago. The finished drawings will be photographed from an airplane or drone.

While at Saari I also plan to edit photos of my 2014 Snow Drawings projects in France, as well as a new video, which will be shown in an exhibition in Baltimore this April.

You can see images of previous snow drawings projects on my website under “SNOW DRAWINGS”