Panu: A Career Spent Creating and Connecting Through Art
2023-01-27
Panu has always had a passion for creating, ever since he was a little child, carving boats out of bark. He loved the process of creating something from nothing and the sense of accomplishment it brought him. As he grew older, he discovered new mediums to work with such as wood, stone, and even glass.
After graduating in 1990, Panu worked as a social educator helping children and teenagers. Then he got back to school and studied carpentry to work even more with young people. In 2000, he became a supervisor of a youth art workshop, where he helped unemployed young adults develop their skills through art.
In 2015, he started working with young adults with mental illnesses in a cultural workshop, helping them create and lead groups based on their interests. He found that working through art therapy was a fulfilling and meaningful way to use his skills. He believed that by tapping into their artistic side, they could gain a new perspective and find purpose in their lives.
Recently, he started pursuing his own art full-time as a profession. In 2005, he held his first solo exhibition in Jyväskylä, and in 2021, he held his second solo exhibition in Stockholm. He has also participated in around 23 group exhibitions throughout his career.
Panu thrives on creating things with his own hands, rather than spending his days staring at a screen. He enjoys working with different materials and being creative in different ways, experimenting with different mediums such as graphics, paintings, and woodcuts. He believes that mistakes can lead to unexpected and exciting results and he is not afraid to deviate from his plans.
Depth can be found in art created from a place of joy
Panu feels that his art is not just his, but part of a larger cultural lineage. He is connected to the artists that came before him and will come after him and he believes that we are all connected through the art we leave behind. He has spent his entire career working with people, and he finds that he is most fulfilled when he is able to share his knowledge and skills with others. He is part of a community at his studio, where him and the other artists take breaks to have coffee and tea together and talk about their work. He finds that this connection to others makes him happy, as does experiencing other people's art, literature, and poetry.
While making art brings him joy, he finds that working with it full-time has added pressure and it can be challenging to balance his work and personal life. He trusts in his abilities as an artist but it can be difficult to manage it as a profession. Being his own boss can be challenging and it's important to find a balance. Panu believes that art can be a source of joy and happiness for many people, and for him, his art comes from a place of already existing happiness and joy in his life. He believes that art created from darker or heavier reasons can be deep, but depth can also be found in art created from a place of joy.
The fate of the Friendship Park
– Throughout the years, I have had the opportunity to participate in many artist collaborations, particularly with my twin city, Yaroslavl, in Russia, from 2002-2015. I even had an exhibition in the city's art museum with two friends. One of our most memorable projects was the "Park of Friendship" in 2011-2012 where we revitalized a Soviet-style, abandoned park with sculptures and mosaic-covered benches, says Panu and continues:
– We worked with schoolchildren from both Jyväskylä and Yaroslavl, as well as professional artists and art teachers from both countries. My role in the project was designing the benches, which were then ordered from a Russian factory and covered with mosaic by the children in the park.
The park was well-received and loved by the community. It was a place where both children and lovers liked to come and play. But in 2020, Panu received a message from his Russian friend about the fate of the Friendship Park.
– To my dismay, all the art had been removed and the park was once again empty and abandoned. I learned that the politics of Putin and his associates had changed the country's direction towards racism, hate, and fear, leaving no room for friendship.
This was a difficult realization for him, and he had to say farewell to his Russian collaborations and focus on his work with the West instead.
– I still have a picture from the time when things were still good in the park, and it serves as a reminder of the positive impact that art can have on a community when it brings people together, says Panu.
Filippa Flood
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