The work series depicts several mice and other small animals in their state of decay. As their dead body breaks down and ceases to exist they leave their “last presence”, and a painting reveals itself. Toni R. Toivonen's process is physical and may be regarded as grotesque or even macabre, but the trace seared into the brass plate creates an aesthetic image that is peaceful and dignified.
The artist believes in the reality of materials, also in the painterly context in which he moves. According to Toivonen his brass works are no depictions of an animal, they are in fact the animal, its salt, grease, and other fluids entering a chemical reaction with the brass plate.
The artist's unusual approach may be discussed in different contexts. The chemical reaction on brass is reminiscent of early photography which works with gelatin silver prints. His work may also evoke a graphical approach involving the making of prints. And the highly bodily aspect that is linked to the production of the work and carried forward in the work itself suggests a sculptural approach.
Short Story 1
Short Story 2
Short Story 3
Short Story 4
Short Story 5
Short Story 6
Short Story 5 and 6; exhibition view of Madness Invited at Collectors Agenda, Franz-Josefs-Kai 3 in Vienna.
Short Story 7
Short Story 8
Short Story 9
Short Story 10
Visual artist Toni R. Toivonen (*1987, Helsinki) examines the duality of life and reflects on the different sides of existence. He is best known for his gold-hued brass works created by composing animal carcasses on sheets of brass and letting the process of rotting oxidize the brass.
Toni R. Toivonen has graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki in 2016. He started off as a painter but has since worked with different techniques, experimenting towards a more conceptual outcome.
His work has been exhibited in Finland, London, and New York, and his work can be
found in public collections such as the MOCAK Museum of Contemporary Art in Krakow, the Kiasma Museum of Contempo- rary Art, the Saastamoinen Foundation, the Sara Hildén Museum of Art, the Heino Art Foundation Collection and Vantaa Art Museum Artsi, and he has won The Art of Basware 2014 global competition, held for artists under 30 years old.
Toni R. Toivonen in represented by Galerie Forsblom, Helsinki and Stockholm. He lives in the middle of the forest somewhere in Finland.
Read our story with Toni in his studio.
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