Press release, Galleria Heino, 2017

Fri, 13 Oct 2017 17:55:40 +0300

Alvar Gullichsen’s current series is directly concerned with transcultural visual pattern imagery. His advanced, highly personal explorations of this possibly universal geometric language are closely related to his ongoing inquiries into shamanistic, transcendental experiences and traditions. Gullichsen – and others – see these rich geometries as mysterious pathways of knowledge and understanding shared by humans across diverse eras and cultures.
Gullichsen’s journey of discovery – of re-connection with ancient, even eternal ways of seeing and knowing – is clearly evident in these recent large-scale paintings. Best known for his transcendent surrealist riffs and hilarious social critiques, Gullichsen experienced what he calls “a big-time transition” in which he journeyed to West Africa to find a place to peacefully create without pressure. Once there, a new way of working began to emerge, from semi-abstraction to abstraction. As Gullichsen recalls:
“I was looking for something that ‘felt right’ – something that corresponded with an inner archetypal or geometric language which I remember from somewhere. In other words, I realized very clearly that these emerging patterns were not something I had merely imagined. Rather, I understood that not only do they exist ‘out there’, but that our ancestors have been seeing them for thousands of years – as a universal language of form and pattern.”
Of course, his reconnection with universal forms and patterns started from a specific and personal place. Gullichsen acknowledges a Scandinavian quality, a sort of “cleanness” in his paintings, saying: “In a way I sort of rediscovered Modernism through these paintings. I’m not ever trying to imitate Modernism, but it is somehow in my blood.”
Mark Maher
Visual artist and curator

Inca Modernism, Galleria Heino, 2015

Tue, 24 Feb 2015 16:34:28 +0200

Inca Modernism
It was some years ago that I had the most vividly clear dream. I was on a sandy beach in a foreign country. Large airy paper sculptures floated silently ashore onto the beach. There was an amazing sense of calmness. Close by was a large temple carved into the rocks. The temple had female forms dotted around, reminiscent of the curves of a violin, with intricate mosaic decorations in red, violet, black and white. The goddess of the temple - none other than Mother Earth herself - taught me to affirm my feminine side. This was somehow achieved by me making a hand movement, like an Indian dancer, and I was then lifted upwards until my head was above the clouds. I heard two Tibetan monks singing in unison. Their song became like a horizontal line, giving the sense of perfect equilibrium. With my head still above the clouds, I found myself inside a box or room with geometric art on the walls. They reminded me of the artworks in my grandmother's collection: Léger, Calder, Miro, and others. They simultaneously had ethnic elements to them as well as feeling universal and timeless.
This dream (which was later followed by further inspiring dreams) was of key significance to my artistic process. It took a long time to reconstruct the artwork from my dream, and I still don't quite know exactly what all the elements looked like - perhaps because they were moving objects and their shapes were shifting. Using intuitive sketching (the hands remember things better than the rational mind!), I eventually created compositions and geometric patterns which felt right. My assistant Klaus Nyqvist helped me create virtual rooms with the surfaces covered in these patterns. The basis of the pattern is quadratic modules which can be connected to each other in all directions. I've often searched for references - is there actually art out there that is like what I saw in my dream? Besides the connection to Modernism, I've also found similarities in Buddist mandalas, in science fiction film set designs, in the South African N'debele people's wall paintings, plus in Northern, Central and Southern American native populations' textiles, artefacts and folk art. Similar patterns and shapes emerge in contexts that are widely separated, both temporally and geographically. Maybe our ancestors visited the same dream worlds? A friend of mine calls my paintings "Inca Modernism", which I approve of.
I would like to dedicate this exhibition to my father Kristian, who has given me so much encouragement and support.
Alvar Gullichsen  Assistant: Klaus Nyqvist | Apprentice: Rebecca Ahlberg With thanks to the Sigurd Frosterus Foundation

The Singing Universe, 2012

Wed, 8 Feb 2012 15:03:17 +0200

THE SINGING UNIVERSE Text by J.O. Mallander

Art is creating an identity Big enough for everyone to share
-Frank Stella

In the long view, the most fascinating thing about Art, beyond the current discourse, might well be the uniqueness of a creative Artist´s vision - and more specifically, the way in which she/he expresses their most important insights along their path of artistic development to help us, their fellow travellers, to find our way, wisely, as we sail through our short day.
One possible measure of creativity is the number of metamorphoses an artist can achieve in their lifetime. Recently, we have had many unique opportunities - many of them at this very gallery - for witnessing large-scale exhibitions by some of Finland´s most notable artist, remarkable for their truly impressive depth and energy. Strong turns that have taken us by surprise. "Lyödään heepnaadilla", Strike them with awe, was the phrase used by Alvar Aalto and Maire Gullichsen´s set to describe the task of all cultural activity: the idea being to show those, who do not yet understand what fantastic things are happening in the modern art field, in Finland alone…
And here we now have Alvar Gullichsen (b. 1961), introducing a collection of visionary images, which, yet again, take us by surprise. The first time he treated us to this experience also represented his own artistic breakthrough, a riotous vision about Pärre Bonk and his Business World - rest in peace. The business did well for a long time, offering ample opportunities for metamorphosis, before the frontman´s interest waned. *)
From the enterprise´s demise emerged a new vision - an entirely different one this time, the result of an encounter with African culture during a long stay at Villa Karo in Benin. I can still recall the powerful - POWERFUL for its unexpectedness and sheer might - and startling experience that was Gullichsen´s 2003 exhibition, so highly charged were the small images bursting with a dark jungle language, positively teeming with life. Captivating - but by no means easy to follow. As is often the case with other similar visions (as the book on symbolism C G Jung did reveals), the images contained shapes, symbols and structures that seem utterly universal.
What had begun as a highly personal act of creative playfulness had transformed into something serious, deeply meaningful visions of another world. "What has happened?", I wondered, as I often do when something or someone seemingly "familiar" unexpectedly manifests a new and unfamiliar facet of existence…
What had in fact gone on was that the artist had expanded and deepened his understanding and experience of life, by exploring cultures other than our own modern, western, Eurocentric civilisation, turning his attention to alternative world views that first entered the mainstream thanks to the hippie movement, including the psychedelic subculture, the school of transpersonal psychology and the new popularity of world music. New experiences generated by mind-altering chemicals and other techniques for expanding one´s inner horizons became a matter of required knowledge for followers of alternative cultures and lifestyles across Europe and the US. The trend continued to gather momentum with the publication of Carlos Castaneda´s cult books recording the teachings of a Mexican shaman and was legitimatised through Aldous Huxley´s Doors of Perception. Finland came into direct contact with this parallel world through an exhibition of Pablo Amaringo´s paintings depicting his experiences while under the influence of ayahuasca.
The powerful visual idiom of the patterns and symbols found on the dress and fabrics worn by indigenous peoples made them an object of fascination for modern artists. Folklore builds on deep insights, after all.
Alvar G grew up in a cultural circle where modern art was an integral part of communication and his very milieu itself. The forms and rhythms of Léger and pop art were very much present in Bonk´s visions too, intermingling with influences drawn from the world of Robert Crumbs and others.
The artist is now returning for a third outing with a new collection of paintings and we are presented with a synthesis of modernism and shamanism, a distillation of his creative efforts thus far complemented by a number of current trends. Gullichsen´s new works also betray his two sources of creative inspiration: music and architecture. "Architecture is frozen music", someone said, maybe Steiner, possibly Kandinsky.
Gullichsen´s vision warrants careful study. The collection he presents us with is unabashed in its lucidity and completeness. Much of art and non-material symbolic representations in general contain "self-evident" statements, which reveal their actual meaning "when the time is ripe", i.e. when the receiver is ready for it. The creative idiom acts almost as an item of protective clothing - offering safety from ignorance and hostile interpretation. The symbolic language is re-created to shield us from the frightening forces and insights we might encounter on the path to personal development to which the creative artist stands witness.
The artist´s current vision is perhaps given its starkest expression in the immense "Världsalltets sång" (The Song of the Universe). Here, the entirety of space itself vibrates with the sound of a universal, intergalactic song, a continuation of Vasarely´s mighty vision. It also calls to mind Birger Carlstedt´s visionary design for the Chat Doré café, if you happen to recall…
Already, the painting appears to have established itself as a classic of our time - it will be re-visited many times over when a new chapter is written into the book that somewhat pompously might be called the spiritual development of our country…
But what is development? Where do all these metamorphoses, which Art so ceaselessly manifests, lead us? The answer perhaps is simply: home to one´s own song in the universe…
It seems important to explore Alvar Gullichsen´s experiences and the insights he has gathered along his own path. We look forward to more:
Keep the Issues Alive! As The Fugs so enthusiastically chanted in the jungle that was the 1960s New York City.
J.O. Mallander
*) Bonk will be making an appearance at the Art Factory in Porvoo in summer 2012 (ed.).