Losing a grandfather: a sadness felt by those lucky enough to know a parents’ parent. Artist Felicia Honkasalo never knew hers, and only found him after his death through a series of inherited artefacts. An exercise in meditative memory-making, she has monumented these vestiges into a new photobook; a posthumous visual biography of a man she never met.
Very little is revealed as fact; instead the story is told impressionistically, through passing moments and fragmentary narrative. One of the only things we know to be true is that he was a metallurgist in Finland in the mid-20th century. ‘Through these objects, documents and photographs, I rebuilt different images of him, and reconstruct imagined memories of him at work, of his everyday life,’ she explains. ‘In the process of making this body of work, these unusual heirlooms have become, in my eyes, animate characters with independent bodies and powers.’
These characters – some complimentary, some idiosyncratic – fold into each other, like mourners at a funeral, each with its own expression of loss, or celebration of life. A telescope; a grainy photo of a church; a tiny, egg-shaped sculpture that looks like it contains the whole universe in its patina; an open pack of bullets; an identity card from 1940.
‘They cast a flickering light on the complex relationship between the frailty of my own memories in contrast to the solid forms and eternal glances of the objects,’ she says. They are scattered, difficult and fascinating. And they ask as many questions as they answer: What did the objects mean to him? And why did he leave them to her?
Helsinki-based, Honkasalo weaves in a history of her native Finland into the work; a national story inseverable from the artist's idea of her grandfather. She paints pictures of ‘the wet lunches held at the mine headquarters during cold-war Finland’, musing on the historical moment the objects stem from, and the present they have found themselves in.
The characters fold into each other, like mourners at a funeral, each with its own expression of loss, or celebration of life
Meditative work is Honkasalo’s métier. This is a quiet, curious collection; as clever as it is unpretentious. It would be easy to say that by the end of the book, we feel we know Honkasalo's grandfather inside out. But this would be inaccurate; and would be doing a disservice to the complexity of a human life.
Instead, the book points out the vast monographic ability of objects and photographs to hint at histories, telling tiny stories in the footnotes; remembering what otherwise could be forgotten. Honkasalo has not distilled her grandfather's essence, or immortalised him. Instead she has cracked open the door to his story; allowing the rest of the world in.
INFORMATION
Grey Cobalt, £25, published by Loose Joints. An exhibition of photographs from the book is on view at Webber Gallery until 15 February. For more information, visit the Webber Gallery website and Felicia Honkasalo’s website
ADDRESS
Webber Gallery
18 Newman Street
London W1T 1PE
-
Fender Hello Kitty Stratocaster marks 50 years of Sanrio’s finest cartoon catHello Kitty reaches her half-century in 2025 and Fender Japan is out to celebrate with guitars and new merchandise, including a revival of its cult Squier Hello Kitty Stratocaster
-
First Look: inside Bentley Home's new Dubai flagshipBentley Home expands within the UAE with its first flagship store in Dubai, a light and airy showroom showcasing some of the best of luxury craftsmanship
-
First Look: ‘It’s a chair that smiles at you,’ says designer Bruce HannahKnoll reissues the Morrison Hannah office chair from 1973, bringing a welcome dose of comfort to working life and simplicity to complex times
-
Inside Jack Whitten’s contribution to American contemporary artAs Jack Whitten exhibition ‘Speedchaser’ opens at Hauser & Wirth, London, and before a major retrospective at MoMA opens next year, we explore the American artist's impact
-
10 books culture editor Hannah Silver recommends this winterLacking inspiration over what to read next? Wallpaper* culture editor, Hannah Silver, shares her favourite books
-
Doc'n Roll Film Festival makes its loud return to the UKThe 11th edition of the Doc'n Roll Film Festival celebrates music, culture and cinema from around the world
-
Preview the Jameel Prize exhibition, coming to London's V&A, with a focus on moving image and digital mediaThe winner of the V&A and Art Jameel’s seventh international award for contemporary art and design inspired by Islamic tradition will be showcased alongside shortlisted artists
-
Genesis Belanger is seduced by the real and the fake in LondonSculptor Genesis Belanger’s solo show, ‘In the Right Conditions We Are Indistinguishable’, is open at Pace, London
-
Francis Bacon at the National Portrait Gallery is an emotional tour de force‘Francis Bacon: Human Presence’ at the National Portrait Gallery in London puts the spotlight on Bacon's portraiture
-
Frieze Sculpture takes over Regent’s ParkTwenty-two international artists turn the English gardens into a dream-like landscape and remind us of our inextricable connection to the natural world
-
Meet Oluwole Omofemi and Bayo Akande, the founders creating a new art communityOluwole Omofemi and Bayo Akande, are behind Piece Unique, an artist agency that guides and future-proofs emerging artists’ careers
