The works in the exhibition present various kinds of obstacles to perception. The series was inspired by a screen in the gallery’s courtyard where a grocery store hides its empty container trolleys. Whereas the screen’s rear is intended for concealment, its front is intentionally conspicuous: a puppet theatre in the same building has brightened up the courtyard by plastering the screen with playbills and colourful decorations. The screen thus performs the typical functions of a perceptual barrier: It conceals, beautifies, and divides the space into private and public zones, facilitating the shared use of the courtyard.

The works in the exhibition present both tangible and metaphorical perceptual barriers. Anything that prevents something from being seen can be thought of as an obstacle to perception. People draw curtains in front of their windows to guard their privacy, and ducks build nests in thick reeds for safety. In both cases, a perceptual barrier provides protection. But sometimes perceptual barriers go unnoticed, and we remain ignorant of their presence. We don’t know what we don’t know. When we in turn register the presence of a perceptual barrier, our curiosity is instantly aroused by the thought of what it might conceal. It excites the imagination. We peek over fences and through keyholes. We are curious to see what people look like beneath their clothes. We crave the transcendent reality hidden behind billboards. Sometimes barriers can become disconcerting. We begin to fear that something important might have escaped our attention. Perhaps a dirty trick is being played on us behind our backs.

Drawing on the legacy of minimalism, Päivikki’s art is strict in its focus. Through her reductive approach, she draws attention to things we easily overlook when we observe paintings: textures, reflections and shadows, the slow unfolding of colour perception… Another key aspect of her artistic strategy is her distinctive way of interweaving her installations with the venue, through which she introduces site-sensitivity and humour to her work, also in this exhibition. In this way, she transforms her installations into engaging creatures that invite viewers to reflect on various kinds of barriers to perception.

Henri Laukkanen