Heidi Lampenius

At the Saari Residence, I will be working on a new set of works that deals with the decline in insect populations. My series of paintings will consist of portraits of insects. Since my way of painting involves removing the paint to create the image, the works will emphasise the non-existent. They could be compared to trace fossils – the traces left behind by the dead, such as worn spots on wooden steps or worm-eaten marks on a leaf. They are indirect evidence of life. The style of the paintings in these works therefore refers very directly to the decline in insect populations.

During the residency, I will also focus on literature about my topic and will write a text on it. From a broader perspective, this set of works is about living together, about symbiosis: we are all part of the whole, and the whole is more than the sum of its parts.

Time and our relationship with nature are central ideas in my work. My aim is to create a more concrete whole, focusing on one of the aspects that I consider important. The decline in insect populations can bring about a new kind of environmental disaster, and we must respond to it.

I keep an open mind and look forward to finding out what the residency will bring. I have chosen a very carefully defined plan to implement, which allows me to get to work right away. I feel that this will make it easier for me to give the process time, allow new thoughts and ideas, and make room for influences from the environment.

I graduated with a master’s degree from Uniarts Helsinki’s Academy of Fine Arts in 2011 and am a full-time artist.

• 2022: group exhibition Hidden Treasures, Schwartz Contemporary (Berlin, Germany); Lust for Life, Helsinki Contemporary (Finland); Embrace, Akureyri Art Museum (Iceland); House by an Architect, Fiskars (Finland).
• 2021: solo exhibition Earthbound, Helsinki Contemporary (Finland); group exhibition Embrace, Norrtälje konsthall (Sweden); Hullu rakkaus, Lappeenranta Art Museum (Finland).
• 2020: group exhibition Impressions, Nordic Contemporary (France); Akashi Fields Forever (Hydra, Greece); collection exhibitions, Korundi House of Culture and Kiasma (Finland).
• 2019: solo exhibition Wavelengths, Helsinki Contemporary (Finland); group exhibition Louder Than Bombs, Berg Contemporary (Iceland); Family, Nordic Contemporary (Paris, France).
• My works can be found in the collections of the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, EMMA Museum of Modern Art, Wihuri Foundation, Aine Art Museum, HUS Helsinki University Hospital, Pro Artibus Foundation and the Bank of Finland.