The Cycle of Life – Ephemeral Art
Jarmo Vellonen
May 15 – June 21 2026
Gallery Vanha Kappalaisentalo
Free entry
Jarmo Vellonen creates his works in nature, using clay gathered from the forest to form sculptures on the trunks of living trees. The works explore nature, Finnish mythological figures, and the idea of a second skin. They are part of process art: the sculptures are created without fastening materials and gradually return to the natural cycle over time. The effects of weather and time are an essential part of the works, which are documented through photography and video.
Working Group
Jarmo Vellonen: concept and planning, clay figures, photography, texts, voice, and direction
Marikki Hakola: video editing and direction
Marko Kataja: sound design
Kroma Productions Oy: video production
Supported by:
Arts Promotion Centre Finland, Finnish Cultural Foundation, Niilo Helander Foundation, Greta and Alfred Runeberg Foundation, City of Porvoo, AVEK.
The exhibition has received a state grant from the Finnish Heritage Agency.
In the Artist’s own words
”I create sculptures on the trunks of living trees using natural clay that I dig from the forest. I search for a suitable place and tree in the forest for each work. All of my sculptures are connected to nature. The themes include figures from Finnish mythology and the concept of a ‘second skin’. I describe my works as process art. I do not use any fastening materials in my sculptures. The idea is that the material of the sculptures returns to the natural cycle. The lifespan of the works depends on weather conditions. I began shaping my forest works in the summer of 2020. More than one hundred figures have been created, and the work continues. In winter, the material changes from clay to snow and ice. Documenting the work with a camera is an essential part of the process”.
Warm thanks to: Paavo Höijer, Maija Höijer, Sari Vuorenpää, Risto Linnapuomi, Heikki Virkki, Jarkko Sopanen, Antti Ratalahti, Peter Sandberg, Beda Haanperä, Perttu Hietanen, Kasper Salonen.
[Jarmo Vellonen]
