'Anima' presenting the new works by Maritta Nurmi, is a exhibition in celebration of the 40 year anniversary of the diplomatic relationship between Finland and Vietnam.

This new series of works by Finnish artist Maritta Nurmi, Hanoi resident for over 20 years, continually explore the metaphysical and the unknown. The artist continues this challenge with her intellectual probing into the concrete meaning and essence of form and spirit. Depicting animals has long been the domain of artists since the first recorded Paleolithic cave paintings in France and Spain which recent findings have discovered were largely created by women.

The artist’s current works use the animal form in many guises. In this new body of work, Nurmi seems to be questioning the necessity of man to create form, to suggest a bond between human and nature, and the implications of such a need or desire. The artist muses, “Many contemporary artists have chosen to use animals in their work as the ultimate “other”, as metaphor, as reflection.” As she ponders this Nurmi questions whether this need to depict animals is an attempt to understand what it means to be animal or is it an expression of our increasing alienation to nature, a loss of this primal connection?

Nurmi was trained as a biologist so this exploration and fascination with the animal world is not a new realm. Her works are at once physical, and yet they seem to yearn to be free from constraint. She questions this apparent human need to have form, boundaries, is it a fear of the limitlessness of eternity, a fear of death, a fear of the unknown?

Anima is will, consciousness, thought, breath, life, spirit. The question remains with the viewer, a provocation to examine what remains beyond matter, beyond form.

*This event is the collaboration of manzi art space with Art Vietnam Gallery, supported by the Embassy of Finland.