Hanna Ryynänen: Beyond the Field of Observation

A piece of sky woven into a blanket draws the mind
far into the nebulae, all the way to Sagittarius,
into the brightest heart of the Milky Way.

Singular and precious, a copper-hued celestial body
rests amid a boundless sea of stars.

Humanity reaches up to the sky, feeling the edges
between comprehension and the unknown.

Seeking meaning in existence,
peace in what we do not yet understand.

Ryynänen’s three-dimensional works explore different ways of relating to something more-than-human. The exhibition Beyond the Field of Observation takes the viewer from a laboratory to distant galaxies, a moment of rest and the contemplative stillness of an altar space. Bewilderment gives way to tranquility, peace yields to uncertainty.

What happens when our need to explain and control encounters something beyond the reach of the senses and the limits of understanding? Some of the works take the form of machines. They become intermediaries in humanity’s timeless endeavor to make sense of its place in the world.

Ancient materials form the starting point for the works, and Ryynänen listens for life inside them. She melts and burns and brings materials together in an alchemical manner. The light glowing from within heated metal is irresistible to the artist, carrying a magical echo of the universe’s earliest moments.

Hanna Ryynänen (b. 1993, Lapinlahti) has her roots in jewelry art, which she studied at the Saimaa University of Applied Sciences (Bachelor of Culture and Arts, 2016) and at Sint Lucas Antwerpen in Belgium. In 2024, she graduated with a Master of Fine Arts from Cranbrook Academy of Art in the USA. Ryynänen works in Siilinjärvi and Lappeenranta.

Metal as a material lies at the heart of Ryynänen’s practice, and she makes use of various art and craft techniques. In addition to objects and installations, she creates public artworks.

This work has been supported by the Arts Promotion Centre Finland’s Arts Council of North Savo.