Liisa-Irmelen Liwata: Romantic thought

Porous sandy areas, ceramic surfaces and multipolar bronze statues create the suggestion of a changing national landscape.

The being transitions from one state to another, gliding down the wall, back into the ground from which it was born. The being, now more of a region, spreads across the floor, growing itself several poles. They aid with navigation and serve as a reminder that regions, too, can be reborn. At the same time, at the back of the last room, romantic thoughts ring out about seeing oneself as a landscape.

National romanticism was a time when landscapes were used to find a shared national identity. Could new landscapes be used to shape new kinds of thoughts about what nationality might look like?

Liisa-Irmelen Liwata (b. 1998) uses sculpture and writing to explore the relationship people have with land from nationalistic and geographical perspectives. Her pieces feature lyricism between the body, land and language and the liminal nature of being. Liwata graduated with a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts from the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts in 2024. The exhibition at the HAM gallery is Liwata’s first solo exhibition.

The artist’s work has been supported by the Paulo Foundation and the Arts Promotion Centre Finland.
Thank you to Alsa Ojala for sound design and Emilia Niskasaari for assistance in working with bronze.
In 2025, all exhibitions at the HAM gallery are supported by the Finnish Heritage Agency.