Iida Valkonen

Wed 22.1.2025

Moments

The hand touches the surface of the drawing. The drawing lines slip through the fingers as the wind carries the fabric forward. They spread toward the sky, merging with the surroundings, forming wind huts and mysterious figures. Ultimately, the drawing transforms the shapes beneath it into part of itself.

Iida Valkonen’s exhibition Moments features photographs and a large-scale drawing installed in the space, which vibrates with the airflow generated by movement within the room. The works explore time, the drawing as part of its environment, and how things may not necessarily have a permanent form.

“In my drawings, the environment and the figures become part of the drawing and simultaneously cease to be what they originally were. At the same time, something becomes visible and something disappears. In the way the drawing shapes itself into the silhouette-like figure or vibrates and moves as part of the environment, there is something very fascinating to me as an artist, and I find new dimensions in the process time and time again.”

“The moments of shooting are never the same; light, shadows, wind speed, and different weather phenomena influence how the photographic works take shape. Despite the original idea, the environment always offers new surprises that affect the outcome. Sometimes, the right moment might require waiting a long time or taking a long walk in search of the right lighting and location. The moment when all the pieces fall into place is ultimately brief and quickly passes by—weather, light, or a small detail that makes the artwork come to life just transforms, and the moment is gone. The moment of capturing feels like a heartbeat, as if one has found something very rare and captured it for oneself and to share with others. The process related to the works in this exhibition began in 2022 with the Wind Notes series,” Iida Valkonen describes.

Iida Valkonen (born 1989, Lapinlahti) graduated as a visual artist from the Academy of Fine Arts, University of the Arts Helsinki (2016). Since her graduation, she has worked intensively in the field of drawing. Valkonen is interested in different ways of drawing, interpretations, and forms of representation. As an artist, she navigates the boundaries of various art-making methods, seamlessly combining different approaches. She is particularly fascinated by transferring movement into the form of an artwork. In her practice, she utilizes drawing lines, textiles, photography, and moving images. The fabrics used in her photographs also transform into moving, sculpture-like elements through the flow of air. In recent years, Valkonen has also worked in various collaborative teams as a director and producer for media art productions. Her works have recently been displayed in, among others, the Nelimarkka Museum, the Vaasa Kuntsi Museum of Modern Art, and the Kotka Art Biennale 2024. Valkonen is a member of the Finnish Society of Graphic Artists, the Helsinki Artists’ Association, and the Kuopio Visual Artists’ Association Ars Libera.

ARTWORK