Hannele Kylänpää: Pyjama

Sculptor Hannele Kylänpää (born 1948) is particularly well known for her sculptures depicting children and animals. She studied at the University of Art and Design and at the Academy of Visual Arts. Her preferred material is bronze but she has also worked with ceramics and concrete.

Animal figures are a recurring theme in Hannele Kylänpää’s work. Her own pets served as models for her work depicting animals. Kylänpää has also frequently depicted human figures. She has interpreted the human essence through a free and unpretentious – and at the same time, charming – form. Human figures are often brought to life through movement, even when movement freezes in time. Kylänpää’s oeuvre is underpinned by a closeness to life. Her work with the materials is very expressive and intertwined with the subjects addressed.

The themes of Kylänpää’s works have varied to some extent according to her life situation. As a student, she used to create female figures. Later, at the point when her own children were small, child figures emerged in her oeuvre and were followed by animal figures. Kylänpää frequently depicts cosy subjects in her sculptures. However, for her, the subject is not the most important aspect of art. According to her, almost any subject is workable into an interesting sculpture. The artist wishes to convey to the viewer a momentary experience, an impression that the figure rendered as a sculpture is present with the viewer.