IN THE REALM OF THE LIGHT AND SHADOW

In Ipi Kärki´s new paintings, the main role is played by light, which is made visible by shadows. The interplay of light and shadows is created now by yhe light from a street shining on the walls of a home, now by the lights and shadows of a greenhouse. The works can be regarded as a realistic depition of the world - but also as abstract paintings in which the silhouetted forms of plants and the shapes of windows are juxtaposed and interlacted, at the same time creating space and routes for the eye to follow.

In her previous works, Ipi Kärki has used clear, compact colour surfaces and has juxtaposed organic and geometric forms. In her new paintings, too, the dialogue between organic and geometric forms is still there; the organic forms of plants silhouettes and the geometric forms of a window frame are juxtaposed and interlaced. In these paintings, colours slip gradually from one hue to another and change almost imperceptibly from cool to warm. Outlines disappear in a way reminiscent of impressionism. But Ipi Kärki paints like an artist of today - in her unique style, recognising and accepting the history of art, but always looking for new ways of working.

Works of art always release images in the viewer´s mind. But the dialoque between light and shadow also has a powerful dimension in the history and the art of painting. For Ipi Kärki, this dialoque provides a starting point for reflecting on the fundamental questions og paintings. How organic and geometric shapes build up a picture. How light, shadow and the interaction of colours create an impression of space; warm colours 'rise up' from the surface, while cool colours retreat into the backgraund. There emerges an illusion of space.

Seppo Heiskanen (English translation Rod Fletcher)