A residency in New York left its mark on Juliana Hyrri’s paintings
Visual artist Juliana Hyrri spent three months at the Triangle artist residency in New York. The visual stimuli of the bustling metropolis sparked ideas and inspired some new works.
A black-and-white tiled floor, checked cushions, a water dispenser resembling a black cylinder and a hand-painted sign outside a Brooklyn bar. Random elements Juliana Hyrri encountered on the streets of New York and in her studio subtly found their way into her paintings during a three-month residency at Triangle, supported by the Finnish Cultural Foundation.
Hyrri had originally planned to use the residency to prepare for an upcoming exhibition. However, when the exhibition was postponed, she found herself with an opportunity to work without the pressure of deadlines and explore the metropolis she had never visited before.
“In Finland, I always have something to do, and I can easily spend three days without leaving home. In New York, I was free from the demands of everyday life and went out and about on a daily basis. The city is hectic and its scale is enormous. All the visual stimuli got my mind working, sparking new ideas and inspiring new works,” Hyrri says.
The new environment also brought practical challenges. Hyrri arrived in New York in July with just one suitcase, buying all the materials she needed after arriving. Everything was readily available, but art supplies were more expensive than in Finland, and sourcing them could easily take up a large part of the day. Having to work with unfamiliar materials pushed Hyrri outside her comfort zone, which ultimately proved to be a positive experience.
“In New York, I was free from the demands of everyday life and went out and about on a daily basis. All the visual stimuli got my mind working, sparking new ideas and inspiring new works.”
“In Finland, I have my familiar selection of materials, and I know how the paints behave and how the colours work. At first, I found it difficult to get to grips with the new paints. They felt wrong and didn’t behave the way I wanted them to. But the frustration paid off, because in the end I was happy with what I had created,” Hyrri says.
Curator meetings were a key part of the programme
Alongside her artistic practice, Hyrri had opportunities to exchange ideas in one-to-one meetings with residency staff and visiting curators. The organiser, Triangle Arts Association, places a strong emphasis on community, and the programme also included a trip to the historic town of Kingston with three fellow artists in residence. A few days away from the bustle of the city provided time for wide-ranging conversations, particularly about the local contemporary art scene.
Hyrri holds a Master of Arts degree from Aalto University’s Department of Art and Media and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Academy of Fine Arts at Uniarts Helsinki.
“There are far more artists in New York than in Finland. Competition is fierce, but while I was there, for example, The New York Times published an extensive article about an exhibition at a non-commercial gallery featuring one of my fellow artists. Arts journalism is alive and thriving in the city. Finland has some catching up to do in that respect when it comes to mainstream media,” Hyrri says.
In the evenings and at weekends, Hyrri visited galleries and museums, where she encountered works she had previously only seen in art books. She was particularly impressed by Philip Guston’s 1975 painting In the Studio and Henri Matisse’s The Red Studio, both on display at MoMA.
“I first discovered Guston in Paris a year ago, and his works feel very close to me and significant from the perspective of comic art. I had seen countless reproductions of Matisse’s painting and read a great deal about it. But standing in front of a painting is an entirely different experience from looking at an image in a book. You become aware of its materiality, and the light looks different depending on where you stand. It’s extraordinary,” Hyrri says.
Distance offered fresh perspectives on familiar things
Since returning to Finland, Hyrri has begun to notice the influence of the residency on her work. New visual stimuli and unfamiliar materials have brought changes to her visual language and colour palette, but the three months spent in the metropolis have had a broader impact, too.
In New York, people would casually strike up conversations with strangers even in the supermarket, and Hyrri has noticed that she has become more sociable too. Being away from home has also helped her see the Finnish art scene in a new light.
“I talked with my studio friend about how incredibly good the art being made in Finland is, and how many things we have going for us. I now look at Finland’s small art scene with a new sense of warmth,” Hyrri reflects.
SKR Residencies
Finnish art has always relied upon international mobility, and these days it is more important than ever to give artists opportunities to travel and network internationally. Through one of Europe’s most extensive residency programmes, we aim to ensure that artists continue to have opportunities to work internationally and build networks across borders.
