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Kari Alonen

Kari Alonen (b.1953) is a long-standing visual artist from Central Finland who has become known both for his groundbreaking art and for the new combination of stone, glass and light. Social criticality and humor are percussion weapons with which Kari takes a stand on the grievances he sees. “The guerrilla humor beats the army of facts”.

Kari began his career as a civil servant, but he soon found that making art was more appealing than creating a career in an agency. The shortcomings of the system also meant that he did not want to be part of that system. On the contrary, these experiences act as a springboard for positional art. Eventually, for Kari, the desire to try overcame the fear of failure, and she ended her career as a civil servant to start making full-time art without any other livelihood. This is how the official became an artist.

Stone Glow

The first solo exhibition was held in 1984. The main part was cat sculptures made of slate. This was the beginning of Kari’s stone age, when the motto was “use the stone while you were still alive”. While holding an exhibition tour in Nordic prisons in the 1990s with the theme “Stone inside a stone”, Kari arose with positive experiences the idea: “There is light inside a stone”. Since then, he has developed a combination of stone, glass and light.

The Light of Reason

In recent years, Kari’s works have combined bronze, glass and light. This has given rise to e.g. book sculptures as the “Light of Reason”. Also to this day are monumental works.

Bold and determined experimentation with materials has produced fresh and new types of art experiences. The combination of different sculptural materials is an indication that Kari’s forms are evolving and in constant motion.

Acknowledgments

Taike 2022

Taike 2021

Taike 2020

Finland’s first light sculpture park in Pykälisto became part of the “Finland 100 years” celebration program, which has been approved by the Prime Minister’s Office in 2017

Finalist of the S-art competition, Helsinki 2015

Invitation to the President of the Republic Independence Day 2015

Finnish cultural fund 2015

Taike 2015

Growth Open Final 2014

Latest exhibitions

Kajaani old parsonage summer exhibition / Kainuu poetry weeks 2022

Oulu Lumolight Festival 2021

Jyväskylä City of Light 2003 – 2022

Joensuu Visual Festival 2020

Oulu Lumolight Festival 2019

Helsinki Galleria Contempo 2018

Helsinki 2018, Reflektor

Fiskars 2018, Fire Light

Isokyrö 2018, Kyrö Fest

Joensuu 2018, Visual Festival

Kari Alonen

Kari Alonen (b.1953) is a long-standing visual artist from Central Finland who has become known both for his groundbreaking art and for the new combination of stone, glass and light. Social criticality and humor are percussion weapons with which Kari takes a stand on the grievances he sees. “The guerrilla humor beats the army of facts”.

Kari began his career as a civil servant, but he soon found that making art was more appealing than creating a career in an agency. The shortcomings of the system also meant that he did not want to be part of that system. On the contrary, these experiences act as a springboard for positional art. Eventually, for Kari, the desire to try overcame the fear of failure, and she ended her career as a civil servant to start making full-time art without any other livelihood. This is how the official became an artist.

Stone Glow

The first solo exhibition was held in 1984. The main part was cat sculptures made of slate. This was the beginning of Kari’s stone age, when the motto was “use the stone while you were still alive”. While holding an exhibition tour in Nordic prisons in the 1990s with the theme “Stone inside a stone”, Kari arose with positive experiences the idea: “There is light inside a stone”. Since then, he has developed a combination of stone, glass and light.

The Light of Reason

In recent years, Kari’s works have combined bronze, glass and light. This has given rise to e.g. book sculptures as the “Light of Reason”. Also to this day are monumental works.

Bold and determined experimentation with materials has produced fresh and new types of art experiences. The combination of different sculptural materials is an indication that Kari’s forms are evolving and in constant motion.

Acknowledgments

Taike 2022

Taike 2021

Taike 2020

Finland’s first light sculpture park in Pykälisto became part of the “Finland 100 years” celebration program, which has been approved by the Prime Minister’s Office in 2017

Finalist of the S-art competition, Helsinki 2015

Invitation to the President of the Republic Independence Day 2015

Finnish cultural fund 2015

Taike 2015

Growth Open Final 2014

Latest exhibitions

Kajaani old parsonage summer exhibition / Kainuu poetry weeks 2022

Oulu Lumolight Festival 2021

Jyväskylä City of Light 2003 – 2022

Joensuu Visual Festival 2020

Oulu Lumolight Festival 2019

Helsinki Galleria Contempo 2018

Helsinki 2018, Reflektor

Fiskars 2018, Fire Light

Isokyrö 2018, Kyrö Fest

Joensuu 2018, Visual Festival