Ateneum artSpent my last day of this visit at the Ateneum art museum. There was a huge Modigliani exhibit on, and it was a great escape from the winter weather. This museum is filled with work by extraordinary Finnish artists I've never heard of. The first rooms in the museum were the modern rooms, and I fell in love. Here are some of the paintings and rooms that delighted me today. Enjoy!
Rannanjärvi and Isoo-Antti by Unto Pusa
This room is just one long wall of self-portraits by famous Finnish artists!
View from the Lallukka artist home by Birger Carlstedt
LOL WEINERS! The middle one is Bathers by Edvard Munch. Seated woman with child by Modigliani. This was the only Modigliani I photographed; the place was mauled as it's the end of the exhibit's run.
There was a room full of French posters as well. This one is a public health poster about tuberculosis. King Hobgoblin Sleeping by Hugo Simberg
Kiasma & the art of Mona HatoumThis is Kiasma, the contemporary art museum, part of the Finnish National Gallery.
There are two main exhibitions on now. The first is After the Turmoil, by Meeri Koutaniemi and Arman Alizad. The exhibit was very personal and some was disturbing, so I didn't take any photos, but their work is worth looking into and I hope this exhibit makes its way to the states. From the website:
The second exhibit, spanning two floors, is an overview of the various works of an artist that is new to me, Mona Hatoum. Hatoum was born in Beirut in 1952 to Palestinian parents. While on a trip to London in 1975, civil war broke out in Lebanon and she could not go home. She stayed in London, attended art schools, and is now a British citizen. The exhibit has photography, art installation, sculpture, works on paper, and video of her performance art. Again from Kiasma:
From the outside of Kiasma, you can see the red globe on the top floor. It is Hatoum's Hot Spot, a play on the term "hot spot" referring to an area of civil or military unrest showing the entire world as a danger zone. Timely.
In the same room is Over My Dead Body: a photo of Hatoum with a toy soldier on her nose. According to the text accompanying this, in her words, she is "reducing the symbol of masculinity to a small creature, like a fly, that one can flick off." In addition to being awesome, she looks like my friend Veronica.
Cellules is an eight-piece installation with cages holding melting/oozing red melted glass shapes, a play on the word "cell." The cages are all a little crooked as well. The whole thing both draws me in and makes me uncomfortable. In a good way.
Lastly, Map is another huge installation, covering an entire room with glass marbles to form a map of the world. The marbles aren't fixed to the floor, so vibrations from footsteps can shift the shape, and at the same time they make the room unsafe to walk through (not that you are allowed to). Per the text with the work, "they portray a world with unstable boundaries, shifting borders and a shaky geography." I love this. I've got one day left and time for one more museum tomorrow. There is a Modigliani exhibit just around the corner that has my name all over it. The weather has been complete shit, so I'm thrilled that the art, the city, the food and the company have been so phenomenal. small adventuresThe clouds cooperated this morning and I explored a few cathedrals and a little of the city. First up: Helsinki Cathedral. Nothing feels so quintessentially European to me as a gigantic cathedral, and this fits the bill nicely. This was designed by Carl Ludvik Engel and erected between 1830-1852.
The organ is undergoing minor repairs, but it's stunning. I'd like one of these for my house, please.
I am not a religious person, but I lit a candle for my country today, sending light and love home in this scary, trying, awful time.
It's only a short walk down the hill from the Helsinki Cathedral to Katajanokka island. I was surprised by this bridge of love, Rakkauden silta, covered in locks.
Up a steep hill and around a corner, I came to the Uspenski Cathedral. It's the Russian orthodox church, hulking overhead and rocking a serious Hogwarts vibe. This one went up in 1868, designed by Aleksey Gornostayev. I wasn't able to go inside today but I may go back. It's spectacular.
I spied the top of the skywheel from the hill and made my way down just in time to catch today's 35 seconds of miraculous sunshine. Look closely: you'll see that one cabin on the wheel is different from the others. OF COURSE it's a sauna cabin. On the skywheel. Finland is amazing: sauna in the sky.
Passed this happy fellow on my way back to the hotel. He's part of the Havis Amanda fountain in the center of town. Sculpted by Parisian Valle Valgren and erected in 1908, there is also a lovely nude, but I was way more into the sea lions.
First days in HelsinkiIt's been cold and raining/snowing since we arrived in Helsinki, so I haven't seen much of the city yet. The hotel where I'm staying is smack in the middle of everything, though, so with a better forecast for tomorrow, I've got plenty on my list to see. In the meantime, here's a short recap of my first couple days. Saturday was a blur of jet lag nursed by a long nap, followed by beer and great pizza. We stopped at a spot around the corner from the hotel and found a midnight supper of kebab pizza--different from Sweden's, but still delicious with surprisingly hot jalapenos. After, we headed to a fantastic little bar Robert had been to once before called Liberty or Death. (A friend commented that the name is a little on the nose, given the current state of affairs back home. Having been glued to the news in the wee hours from anxiety and jet lag-fueled sleeplessness, I have to agree.) The bar was perfect: dark and cozy with exceptional service. I had a Bulleit cocktail with Luxardo, Vermouth, lemon, ginger and pineapple and it was delightful. Also, just the trick to get me back to sleep. Sunday was rainy and cold but we ventured out anyway, starving and with a general craving for cheese and wine. A quick walk downtown took us to a cute chain pasta place where they make pasta to order. It's a bit cumbersome to order but was absolutely delicious. The first thing I noticed on the ten minute walk to lunch is the architecture here. These buildings are SO gorgeous and interesting, and I await a sunny (will settle for not raining) day to get some nice photos. For now, here is the Helsinki University Library building. So cool. We hopped in a taxi over to the Temppeliaukio Church, aka the Rock Church, so called because it was carved into a rock. Inside are copper details with stunning rainbow patina, a pipe organ, and so much light--even on a cloudy day--from the ring of vertical windows in the massive domed roof.
The dome in the main entrance. Coming from a place with a comparatively short history, it was staggering to research Finland's history and find that it started in 9,000 BC. The most interesting parts of the museum, for me, were about the indigenous people, the Sami, whose ancestors were those Mesolithic Era people. I only snapped a few photos here, as I spent most of the time finding the English versions of the text for everything. I did grab this: a photo of a perpetual motion machine. Of course, it didn't work, but the creator, Mikko Mikonpoika Minkkinen, spent his life making it.
In another room was the best clock I've ever seen. This clock is me. This lovely stained glass in the halls made even the cloudy day seem cheerful.
Tomorrow, I'm planning to check out a few more cathedrals, the market, and maybe even the modern art museum. As ever, thanks for looking; I love having you along with me.
LA TimeI had so much fun sharing my trip to Sweden, I wanted to keep it going here in LA. Here are some of my favorite ways to spend a day in downtown LA. If you've ever visited me, we did this together. If you haven't, make it happen! We love living here so much, and I have a blast showing the city off to friends and family. Downtown Wandering, aka the Mostly Free Tour A day downtown for me starts at the Disney Concert Hall. Designed by Frank Gehry, it reminds me of his outdoor amphitheater in Millennium Park back in Chicago. You can walk up and down and all around outside the building. On a clear day, the views are lovely.
Inside is also gorgeous, and there is always a cool art installation. For the last couple of months, it's been NIMBUS, by Yuval Sharon. It's these huge clouds hanging low overhead down the escalators to the garage. Motion sensors in them activate different lights and sounds provided by LA Philharmonic musicians. Volume up for rainstorm.
From there, cross the street to the Broad, the new contemporary art museum, pronounced like "road" for some reason. It's a supremely cool building, inside and out.
Across from the Broad is MOCA, where I always stop and pick up some Noah Lyon buttons, and sometimes find cool flip books.
Just through a business park from MOCA is the Angel's Flight train that used to take folks up and down the steep hill between Olive and Hill streets. It's been in a ton of books and movies. I never start the tour at the bottom of the hill because this train isn't running anymore and that hill sucks. At the bottom of the hill, around the block, is my favorite mural: this gigantic dancing Anthony Quinn on the old Victor Clothing building.
I took that photo of the Anthony Quinn mural from the doorway to the Bradbury Building, just across the street. It's been in Blade Runner and Inception (and those stupid Twix commercials) and is so beautiful inside.
To walk off lunch, I head down to City Hall. It's open during the week to ride up to the top floor observation deck, with 360 degree views.
It's a short walk from City Hall to Olvera Street, the historic downtown district dating back to 1781. A pedestrian-only marketplace, it's lined with shops and stalls selling traditional Mexican food, treats and handicrafts. I don't have any photos of it, but the America Tropical Interpretive Center is a must-see museum dedicated to a controversial mural done by David Alfaro Siqueiros in 1932.
Around the corner from Olvera Street is the end of the tour, Union Station, with its gorgeous main hall and beautiful ceilings, and, if traffic is too bad to uber, a train back to the Westside.
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