Artist statement

I primarily utilize video and animation techniques, which have been my main means of expression up until recent years. Lately, I have been focusing on the possibilities of combining my paintings and drawings with digital environments, thereby challenging myself and what I expect from video art as a medium.

The artwork “Weather Report” is a great example of this concept. A piece that seamlessly integrates acrylic painting with 3D animation. The painting serves as the foundational layer for all digital elements, including light, shadow, and motion, resulting blend of traditional and contemporary artistic techniques.

This has been an interesting method for discovering how integrating the elements of painting could help materialize the digital works. And foremost, it has revealed an innovative way for me to approach my artistic pursuits.

I aim to capture a space where time and circumstances do not necessarily have an excluding effect on the viewer’s experience.
By forming a narrative that functions in a looping manner, breaking free from a linear timeline, I can develop a framework that allows video art to be experienced similar as traditional paintings.

I often work on two or three pieces or sets simultaneously. This process-oriented approach helps me to place these works in interaction with one another and to explore new expressive means.

Over the years, the themes of my work have varied from depicting conceptual or philosophical definitions such as time and humanity, to site-specific installations engaging in dialogue with their surroundings.

Janne Ahola, 2023