AUTOJA / CARS – Kari Cavén
Kari Cavén who began his career as a painter, moved in the 1980`s after experimenting with different materials to tridimensional expression. Instead of traditional sculpture Cavén is known for his sensitive object collages, which have playful humour in them. Cavén uses wood, metal, recycled materials and scrap as materials in his works.
Kari Cavén examines the surrounding world, also in a concrete way, when searching new materials for his works. Cavén´s object works contain familiar elements, which are present in the everyday life. He makes art out of utility articles and on elsewhere restores art objects into daily use.
Perception, which comes into being through seeing and combining, is strongly present in Cavén´s works. The variety of the visual and conceptual references in his works create a space for new meanings. Cavén´s works contain multiple references to the nature of objects and materials and also references to their use, cultural history and art history.
In the Pori Art Museum´s exhibition hall Cavén carries out an installation entitled Cars, which consists of dozens of miniature cars filling the entire exhibition hall. Inspiration to these have primarily been wheels but also the artist´s own childhood with the building and driving hill cars. The car wheels are linked together with different kinds of structures; wood curves, straight and bend metalbars, tubes etc. forming own personality to every car.
Skulpturens Hus in Stockholm showed Kari Cavéns exhibition Konst och Bilar (Art and Cars) on Spring 2000. Pori Art Museum´s exhibition introduces also Cavén´s newest cars. There is also a car track where children can drive pedal cars.
Kari Cavén was born in Savonlinna in 1954. He studied 1976-77 in Free Art school, 1977-78 in University of Art and Design in Helsinki and 1978-82 in Academy of Fine Arts, Helsinki. He has participated in various international exhibitions as in Venice Biennale in 1988, 1990, 1995.