Fiona Irene Graf. Take Over Go Under & Pyhiä kiviä, 2019

The UK-based multimedia artist will be showing the outcome of her last 6 weeks of creative work in Rauma at Seppä house and at the Ruins of the Church of the Holy Trinity.

Take Over Go Under

With a strong focus on material and haptic feel, these latest of her works are recreations of objects within the immediate surroundings of the artist. Graf has particularly been interested in the natural phenomena of the area, such as the extraordinary moss growth and rock formations in the forests, as well as in the building materials of the Old Town. Take Over Go Under is an attempt to find an understanding of a matter’s nature, our relationship with it, and its impact on us.

The exhibition will feature two-dimensional works such as collage and painting, as well as sculptural works.

Outdoor Installation Holy Rocks

Besides on show will be Pyhä kiviä (Holy Rocks), a communal outdoor installation consisting of several rock-like linoleum sculptures which will be exhibited on the grounds of the Ruins of the Church of the Holy Trinity during the long Easter weekend. Creating a direct relation to the remains of the building, the artist invites the people of Rauma to actively engage with the historic and religious significance of the site, as well as with its pure physical presence, through moving and rearranging the ‘rocks’ made by the artist.

In addition, the residence was also home to Graf's boyfriend, British musician Andrew Butler, who composed, wrote lyrics and recorded about twenty new songs to his coming album. Butler is an active member of English music scene, collaborating with several musicians and playing numerous concerts. After the release of his first album 'Chalk' in 2016, which received excellent reviews and was played on Guy Garvey's Finest Hour on BBC Radio 6, he has been writing on this second album. He has been compared to Jeff Buckley, Roy Orbison and Leonard Cohen.

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Fiona Irene Graf was born in 1991 in a rural area in southern Germany. After completing her art foundation in Munich, Fiona moved to London, where she began her Fine Art studies in 2015. Due to the housing crisis in London, Fiona transferred to the University of the West of England, Bristol, where she graduated in summer 2018 with First Class Honours. During her studies Graf was investigating questions like What do we understand by the term ‘collage’? And how can we redefine its meaning? Can a collage be sculptural? Can it even be installation art? In her previous works she has been pushing collaging into new territory, and trying to loosen the boundaries between artistic disciplines. This is her first residency.