Tea Mäkipää (FI)

Born in 1973 in Lahti, Finland
Lives and works in Mäntyharju and Weimar

Finnish artist Tea Mäkipää addresses circumstances that we take for granted, prompting critical reflection the sustainability of our contemporary way of life.

A recent project ‘Atlantis’ (2007) consisted of a house appearing as though it was slowly sinking into a lake. Far from being abandoned, however, lights were on and the sound of people chattering away inside was audible, suggesting that its occupants were oblivious, or impervious, to their fate.

For ‘The woods that see and hear’ exhibition Mäkipää presents a project addressing the near demise of the petrol-fuelled engine. Amidst the young trees at dertien hectare is a growing graveyard for wrecks from the bygone era of muscle cars and gas-guzzlers. As one plaque reads: ‘Petrol-Fuelled Car, 1885-2010, Rest in Peace’, marking the end of an era of dependence on oil and the start of a new age of electric and bio-fuel alternatives.