GALLERY ASKI: JUKKA OLKKONEN – BY CHANCE

By Chance exhibition is a description of the experience of observing the views of the human environment. The exhibition shows watercolor paintings of moments when attention has been stopped by wonder at the familiar but at the same time unexpected beauty, and on the other hand, moments when attention has been immersed in feeling what has been seen and connecting it to the experiencer’s personal world of meaning.

“I myself have been conditioned to pay attention to windows and blinds in my environment, partly through my hobby of houseplants and partly through spending a lot of time indoors. The regulation of the amount of light and, on the other hand, general visibility with the help of windows and blinds also leads my thoughts to the human tendency to regulate reality into doses that suit oneself. The question also arises, what is interiority, this me, and what is the exteriority whose effect on ourselves we try to regulate. Are they separate, independent things or do they interact with each other? The Western dualistic tradition of thought easily divides reality into two opposing basic natures, such as the internal (subjective, spiritual) and the external (objective, physical), which has its own consequences for how we feel about our being, our connection and our separateness.”

“This own internal experience and that other, externally observed, also seem to unite at times in a certain way of correspondence. Personally, I experience it as a kind of alignment of my being with the prevailing moment, when a situation or view coincidentally coincides and resonates in a way that makes me find my current mental landscape in it. I feel that I open myself up to a meaningful connection with the environment. The view mirrors the experienced state of mind and emotional experience, and acts as a visible messenger. Then I truly feel that I find myself in the situation.”

Jukka Olkkonen (born 1986) is a visual artist who graduated from Kankaanpää Art School in 2025. He mainly works with watercolor painting and pencil and charcoal drawing. In his works, he often deals with scenes from everyday life, which also involve mental experiences, impressions of what is seen and the interpretation of what is seen. Olkkonen participated in the group exhibition Kingdom of Fine Arts, Young Graduates in the City of Fine Arts at the Mänttä Art Weeks 2025.

An artist talk will take place on Sunday, July 5 from 3 to 4 PM