Information
Artist and year
Kari Huhtamo, 2003.
Collection
Collection of the Kari Huhtamo Art Foundation
Technology, Materials and Size
Steel, 51 cm x 18 cm x 132 cm
Description
"Shiny like the side of a salmon, the wing of a butterfly," as someone has said of Kari Huhtamo’s sculptures. Stainless steel is not just solid. In Huhtamo’s hands the characteristics of steel also include its capacity to reflect light and to mirror its surroundings with precision that make his sculptures and mobiles occasionally chameleon-like; they fit in their location, sometimes almost hide themselves. Even then, if you just take a step, the side of the salmon shines again. The overall impression of Luminosus is ethereal with an ever-present sense of movement.
Luminosus is Latin for light or brightness, which is visually the most striking attribute of this work. The sculpture is made of interconnected arcs that are convex or concave depending on your viewing angle. It is a kind of optical screw with – as is often the case in Huhtamo’s art that shies away from anything unnecessary – the form and the structure of the sculpture being the same thing.
