A body of a professional bodybuilder seems to be in a state of metamorphosis: a human body is changing into a muscle-sculpture, a monster, BBQ chicken, metal, poo, fruit or some type of organ. This either fascinates or disgusts the viewer.
With images of bodybuilders it is easy to paint pictures of negative masculine stereotypes. However, bodybuilders are all sorts of people and extreme bodybuilding seems to be more a caricature of the passions of mainstream culture, than some isolated area of its own. In the collages of this exhibition I have wanted to use the bodies of bodybuilders as a wider metaphor for life.
I enjoy making traditional cut-and-glue paper collages. Photoshop makes it all too easy. I want to be in dialogue with the fragile and limited material and just follow it where it leads me.
Kalle Turakka Purhonen
01Heartbuilder (2017) | collage on plywood 90 x 60 cm
02New idea (2017) | collage on plywood 80 x 60 cm
03Tree (2017) | collage on plywood 110 x 80 cm
04Buffed up Trinity (2016) | triptych
05Father (2016) | collage on plywood 30 x 60 cm
06Son (2016) | collage on plywood 70 x 30 cm
07Buffed up Holy Ghost (2016) | collage on plywood 125 x 70 cm
