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Finnish resident artist Miia Kettunen presents her work and research from her two-month residency in her studio at TBG+S.

Drop by the Gallery and visit Miia in her studio on the third floor anytime between 2:30–6:30pm. At 5:30pm there will be glass of wine to celebrate Miia's time at TBG+S and mark the end of her residency.

During her residency in Dublin Goldenbridge, a walled garden cemetery in Inchicore, has been the focus of Miia’s research. Opened in 1828 by Daniel O Connell, Goldenbridge would fulfil his vision to provide a dignified burial space for those of all religion and none. This is a tranquil place, a cube behind walls where the dead rest in peace amongst trees and grass. A rhythm of monumental classical funerary amidst humbler stones. Some stand straight and tall, others tilted horizontal by the combined efforts of settling bodies underground and the wind, so the cemetery’s formal plan goes somewhat awry. Miia hones in on the headstones. Their materiality and form. She chooses a few and traces their outlines and unmarked sides. Reframed and transparent, she pegs these templates in her studio, like paper patterns for a dress. This is the starting point for her new body of work.

Miia Kettunen’s material practice is often site-specific and built on research and collaboration. She seeks encounters from places that might offer something transitional and transformative. Recurring themes are the attributes and transformations of the conscious human mind, and the understanding of landscapes and environments from internal spaces outward. Her work incorporates elements of environmental and bio art, alternative photography, textiles, text, and mixed media. Meditation and walking are also used as methodological tools, drawing on nearly thirty years of yoga and mindfulness practices. She lives in the Arctic Circle.

The TBG+S/HIAP International Residency Exchange supports a Finnish artists to live in Dublin and work from a studio at Temple Bar Gallery + Studios. It also supports visual artists based in Ireland or Irish artists living abroad live and work at HIAP - Helsinki International Artist Programme, Suomenlinna, Helsinki.

The TBG+S/HIAP International Residency Exchange is supported by the Finnish Institute, UK + Ireland.