Kimmo Ylönen

I’m an artist from the island of Norrskata off the coast of western Finland.

The frame of the piece I’m working on at the Saari Residence is formed by logs of wood chewed on by the wee people of the forest, windfalls, and washed-up acorns. To these elements I’ll add things people have used that were salvaged from buildings and demolition sites. I straighten up the corners and get the lines right with the aid of almost magical working tools. I measure ants’ steps and the astronomer’s journey under the bark. I seek out answers to the big questions, all the time enjoying working with the wood and piecing the puzzles together.

At the workshop at Saari, these days I’m outlining patches of sky: a sun mewling as it glides by, planets, a chipboard moon. My own universe, the only one I can rule over, like an enlightened despot.