Team Unski Immonen (b. 1981) —
Väinö Makkonen (b.1982)
The artist team Immonen–Makkonen is from Varkaus. Unski Immonen graduated from the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts in 2015 and from Art School MAA in 2011. He works with interdisciplinary art projects in painting, photography and paint animations.
Väinö Makkonen is a drama instructor, class teacher and a rap artist who works with music as well as applied drama and community art.
“In the works of art, we delve into our relationships with history, other people and nature. The interlinking of time and space is key to the artworks. We combine historical events and mythologies to current day and recent historical events.”
In Mikkeli, the team presents its Forest People project. It consists of augmented reality (AR) artworks in a urban space which reveal Unski Immonen’s digital art and Väinö Makkonen’s socially conscious rap music and poetry. The artworks are loosely based on the history of Varkaus and photographs by photographer Ivar Ekström (1891–1971).
The most important feature of the work of art are stories based on unwritten rules and non-verbal agreements. The artwork explores social tensions which are independent of time and space and depict the haphazardness of history.
Unski Immonen has received funding from the North Savo Regional Fund of the Finnish Cultural Foundation and from Kuvasto, the Finnish copyright society for visual artists.
Photos: Harri Heinonen, © taiteilijat, Kuvasto ry, Harri Heinonen ja Mikkelin taidemuseo
Metsäkansaa (Forest People), 2021, collage on plywood, AR artwork, Mikkeli Art Museum
Metsäkansaa (Forest People), 2021, collage on plywood, AR artwork, Naisvuori Hill
Metsäkansaa (Forest People), 2021, collage on plywood, AR artwork, Harbour playground
Metsäkansaa (Forest People), 2021, collage on plywood, AR artwork, Market Square
Metsäkansaa (Forest People), 2021, collage on plywood, AR artwork, Muisti Centre of War and Piece / Headquarters Museum
Metsäkansaa (Forest People), 2021, collage on plywood, AR artwork, Railway footbridge Porrassalmenkatu side