"Olli Lyytikäinen: It’s all yours – pitäkää hyvänä"
2000-09-30 until 2001-01-24
Kiasma, Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki
Helsinki, , FI

Art and life entwine in the mythical figure of Olli Lyytikäinen (1949–87). The self-taught bohemian artist achieved fame thanks in particular to his watercolours and skillful drawings. The retrospective It’s all yours – pitäkää hyvänä offers a wonderful opportunity to acquaint yourself with the production of this multi-talented artist.

Lyytikäinen’s art is set in a period of spiritual transition, when the political 70s-turned into the wild 80s. Internationalisation gathered momentum and the world of grand narratives gave way to individuality and the story of the individual. In his art, Lyytikäinen is the narrator of visual tales, depicting little things and the stories. The titles of his works play with words and open up new perspectives into the images. His art constitutes its own segment in Finnish contemporary art, reflecting the spirit of the times rather than harmonizing up with the other art of the period.

Lyytikäinen took both high-brow and low-brow culture with an equal measure of seriousness, utilising their imagery, styles and meanings in his unique manner. His production does not constitute a uniform and stylistically coherent entity; he often chose his means of expression according to the subject matter. His observations are transformed into images in his virtuoso drawings.

Related Links:

Indepth Arts Resources for Finland

Other Important Exhibitions in Helsinki