GALLERY ASKI: KATRI MONONEN – EXERCISES IN ENTANGLEMENT

“I think about flower pollen, microscopic dust, and fragments of plastic that humans inhale without ceasing. … Every breath I take draws the world into me, and every breath I exhale returns a part of myself to it.” (Oksana Vasyakina: Rose. Translated in Finnish by Riku Toivola, 2026)

Exercises in Entanglement consists of paintings that have grown out of attempts to reach toward coexistence between humans and other living species. By combining different painterly gestures, I explore experiences of connection and intermingling with other forms of life. I remind myself of the countless ways in which we depend on plants, insects, and animals.

Some of the paintings in the exhibition take as their visual point of departure the artificial pollination of plants by humans using a paintbrush. The gesture resembles painting, and perhaps painting itself can be understood as a form of pollination—one that generates something new by bringing together materials and ideas from different directions.

Many of the paintings feature recurring motifs of winding coloured lines and geometric forms. Figurative imagery becomes entangled with abstraction. Concealing representation within abstraction is reminiscent of dazzle camouflage, the geometric patterns used especially on ships during the First World War. Their purpose was to disrupt the enemy’s perception of a ship’s distance, direction, and speed, making it more difficult to target and sink.

If I paint horses and birds, flowers and insects, with patterns that interfere with perception, can I protect them from the threats caused by humans? Of course not. But perhaps the swirling lines and shifting patterns bind me—and my concern and sense of responsibility—even more closely to the beings I paint.

Katri Mononen is known for her paintings that combine botanical imagery with geometric abstraction. In the summer of 2026, her work was featured in Art Realm ’26, the biennial organised by the Tampere Art Museum, in an installation created in collaboration with Anna Hyrkkänen and Mia Saharla. Her works are included in the collections of, among others, the Finnish State Art Commission and the Tampere Art Museum.

Welcome to the opening of the exhibition on Thursday August 20th, from 5 to 7 pm!

An artist talk will take place on Sunday September 6th, from 3 to 4 PM. Welcome!

Artist Katri Mononen

Home page: www.katrimononen.com

Instagram: @katrimononen_artist