Jean-Christophe Piette artist-in-residence first month

ArtRadius Saksala
international artist-in-residence program in rural Finland

artist-in-residence 2007-2008

first month


When I arrived in art centre Saksala ArtRadius, the days and the nights were full of light, the beautiful sunset and sunrise at the same time and the landscapes were new impressions for me. I was biking a lot in the intention to discover the country side, and also to discover Finnish people, but there is few people in the rural area and wild nature. After that, in the deep silence, I have been starting in the atelier to make my own work. A part of the work is a wall painting in the corridor of the art centre which I was preparing and have finished at the end of June.

	The maaherra/governor of Eastern Finland Pirjo Ala-Kapee and her secretary were visiting the art centre and the governor was very interested in the wall painting of Jean Christophe Piette. The female person in the wall painting is a famous image of a food package, the so called ELOVENA-TYTTÖ (the girl Elovena) a not existing person, but the personification of Finland.