Egs, the graffiti writer and visual artist who regular readers of this blog will know very well, is once again in the news. Earlier this month, the Finnish artist revealed a glass sculpture entitled “Under the Surface” in the main lobby of the diagnostics unit at the Helsinki University Hospital HUSLAB.
The installation, located in a location visited by more than 12 thousand people a month, wascommissioned by the HUS Arts Council. One of its members, Professor Seppo Seitsalo, explains why Egs was chosen: ‘He is a contemporary visual artist who has brought a twist to the works and shapes of glasswork. From his conceptual proposals, we chose the most suitable for this place. Here we pay special attention to the symbolism of the work: international scientific cooperation appears as a multifaceted rhizome, from which the colorful fruits of the work emerge.‘
The installation consists of nine hand-blown glass sculptures in different colors and shapes, between 30 and 40 cm in height. Placed on a pedestal that contains cylindrical filamentous structures, they resemble the body of multicellular fungi and contain light fibers that illuminateevery three minutes, revealing the invisible connections between the sculptures. According to Egs, with this work he wants to empathize the importance of invisible authors and the network they create, making a direct reference to the collaboration between the international scientific community and national health professionals in the fight against COVID-19.
Once again Egs plays with the shapes of his trademark letter forms and the shapes of plants, but unlike many of his works, the color variation is much wider.
The sculptures are a valuable reminder of the importance of inter-agency cooperation which attempts to diagnose and treat COVID-19 patients.
Listen back to an Instagram video interview we did with Egs last year.
2 What do you think?
Add a comment