Jonna Suurhasko

Dribble of Being, 2025

The work consists of three white pillows and the imprints of life left on them. It invites the viewer to stop and look at nature in a new way – not just as something out there, but as a living force that constantly surrounds us. It reminds us of the power of nature, living things and life, but also of sensitivity. Nature is not only in forests and riverbeds, but also in small, unnoticeable details, like moss on the surface of a concrete barrier.

Suurhasko finds the microworlds found in nature and the unique characteristics of different places fascinating. A bend in a river can be a whole world where you can stop and spend time. Trees from the upper reaches have accumulated there, which have become mossy between the rocks, and the sand at the bottom of the river highlights the greenery. Suurhasko quietly transfers this atmosphere to her works. Today, a fern grows in one of the clay pipes in her study, having arrived there by chance. Its leaves are already reaching out of the glass. Nature is powerful and it's great to feel yourself to be a part of it. For her, nature is not just in the forest, but in every blade of grass that reaches out from the crack in the asphalt towards the sun.

As an exception to traditional art materials, water and plants are not just materials used in Suurhasko's work, but they play an active role and are in a constant state of change. So a plant artwork is never finished. It is a very sensitive and changing entity that requires care and maintenance both in the studio and in the exhibition space.

Jonna Suurhasko, originally from Pieksämäki, graduated as a visual artist in 2003. She currently lives in Jyväskylä. Suurhasko has worked as a full-time visual artist for almost 20 years. In the last ten years, her work has concentrated on installation, environmental and spatial art.