KOMBO

Ceramic and visual artist Laura Pehkonens (b. 1985) KOMBO spreads across different parts of the new Jakomäen Sydän building like a collage. The work is an abstract ceramic wall relief. The largest continuous part of the work occupies the nearly 17-metre-long wall in the corridor leading to the building’s cafeteria. The walls of the building’s daycare and youth facilities are adorned with smaller reliefs, which have also been added to the brick cladding of the building’s three courtyards.

The hand-made ceramic pieces are made out of various types of clays, including porcelain, black clay and red clay. Some pieces of the work are made of the same Finnish red clay that the brick cladding of Jakomäen Sydän’s exterior walls consists of. One of the ceramic pieces contains volcanic ash, while another includes clay from a river delta in the Amazon rainforest, worked with a traditional technique. In addition to the various types of clay and working methods from different parts of the world, the work is characterised by different ceramic surface techniques, such as glazing, painting, gilding and transfer. According to Laura Pehkonen, she was inspired to create the work by the techniques used by different cultures and in different eras, through the use of which she created a kind of worldwide and temporal map of ceramics.

The artist planned the work to be looked at and touched. The ceramic surface structures together with the varying colours and techniques are an integral part of the work and the experience. Different clusters of reliefs are mounted at different heights on the walls, taking into account users of different heights.

Rhythm plays an important role in KOMBO. Looking at it from afar allows you to see consistent, major lines; coming closer reveals small local movements up and down, diagonally and rotationally. The eye is steered by the hand-painted details, brush strokes and variations in tone. In addition to rhythm, another important aspect is the abstract nature of the work. According to the artist, a nonrepresentational work does not exclude anyone’s interpretation, enabling instead the creation of personal and intuitive impressions.

The City of Helsinki adheres to the percentage financing principle, which means that approximately one per cent of the City’s new construction and renovation expenses are dedicated to the creation of new public art. In recent years, extensive construction efforts have made it possible to commission art for many public buildings around the city. HAM Helsinki Art Museum serves as an arts expert in these projects, and the works are added to HAM’s art collection.

KOMBO is completed according to the percentage financing principle and it belongs to the City of Helsinki’s art collection, which is managed and curated by HAM.