Toni R. Toivonen

This research page comes in the wake of the first webinar of Module 4, a review of which can be found here INSERT LINK

Finnish artist Toivonen places the carcasses of animals on sheets of brass. As the carcass decays the remains oxidise the brass play leaving a representation of the animal that was once there long after it is gone.

I liken them to photograms where the extremities (arms legs etc) have a reduced presence due to the light passing around the outside of the object blocking the lights path. This abstract representation of life and death intrigues me but brings me to question whether this act is photography or whether it becomes photography when we view images of the pieces here. As it turns out the ‘piece itself’ are the brass panels exhibited on gallery walls as shown in the next gallery.

With brass panels hung upon walls in sterile white spaces, Toivonens pieces have the aesthetic to overwhelm the audience and put them in a state of unease at the same time.

The aseptic nature of the gallery space is very far removed from the back yard, and no doubt putrid, environment used to create the imagery. Although I have no intention of experimenting with the rotting remains of animals, the contact print aesthetic of these brass panels is very intriguing to me.