MILKA TERTSUNEN

1982 | Helsinki | sculpture

Values and what is valued. What underlies these things? And how is their absence filled?  Look at it from any perspective, and you will find that values in themselves never change; what changes is what we regard as valuable. 

People are usually judged by their “visible” accomplishments. Gold symbolizes the pinnacle of achievement: first prizes are always gold. The gilding on my sculpture is only temporary. The dialogue continues in a shadow play performed by two flies in the second part of my work. Looking after those insects is quite an art form in itself... What would be revealed if we were to wipe away our “gilding” – would there be nothing left but a murky undercoat? How many of us can see beyond another person’s surface, and what does it give us if we can?