In the Laikku Galleria exhibition The Language of Drawing

Our proposed theme, The Language of Drawing, is based on the concept of presenting an exhibition that focuses exclusively on the art of drawing. While each of the five artists included in this exhibition approaches drawing from different points on the spectrum, all of us perceive the act of drawing as an essential form of communication that provides us with an important means for comprehending the world and ourselves.

While drawing has always played a central role in the development of art, one could also say drawing’s status as an art form has fluctuated over the centuries. At times drawing was perceived more as a tool for developing one’s perceptual skills or as a preparatory step in the early stages of developing a composition or as an under drawing for a painting. Although drawing was highly valued in the private practice of artists, it was not necessarily made to be displayed in public as paintings and sculptures were. Even though drawing’s public status as a second-tier form of art has diminished greatly over time, it could also be said that some residue of that attitude remains till this day.

It is safe to say that drawings have always been valued by artists themselves and were often used as important teaching tools in schools and in studio practices. Often drawings were highly prized and passed down from one generation of artists to the next. It is also true that drawings have been avidly collected by connoisseurs, kings and queens, and wealthy collectors. At the same time, it was very rare to see a major museum show dedicated exclusively to drawings. To this day drawings are still perceived as some kind of curiosity for academic or museum specialists.

In more recent history most of the traditional distinctions between drawing and other art forms have broken down. This process was greatly accelerated in the late 19^th Century, especially by artists such as Degas, Van Gogh, and Toulouse Lautrec. This process opened exponentially during the 20^th Century and continues to our own times. These days, artists like William Kentridge make clear that drawing is still a vital form of communication that ranks as high as any other form of artistic expression.

With our exhibition, we hope to dispel any of those lingering notions that drawing is somehow lower on the hierarchy than other forms of art, and that drawing is in fact one of the richest and most accessible forms of art there is. For us, we hope our drawings will resonate with the viewer and imprint their marks on the imagination of the thoughtful observer.