Weekly meeting 35 – the subject of the presentation is “Kaksitoista kuvaa isästä” (Erkki Kaila)

The 35th weekly meeting of the Rotary Club of Rovaniemi was held in Varjo Galleria and the presentation was given by brother Erkki Kaila in his art exhibition “Twelve illustrations of father”.

Erkki’s “Twelve illustrations of father” is part of a study that opens up the author’s personal history and experiences spanning generations. The dissertation for the Faculty of Arts at the University of Lapland creatively combines the methods of visual art and fiction.

The focus of the exhibition is the effort to understand the effects of soldiers’ moral disability and related phenomena on the veterans’ close circle. Kaila’s work gives an example of how the artistic process could help deal with past traumas, especially the artist’s relationship with his long-deceased father.

The exhibition is based on extensive war and psychohistorical research, where the artist examines the war experiences and personal history of his father and grandfather. “Twelve illustrations of father” is the first artistic part of Erkki Kaila’s doctoral research. It explores art in understanding personal and collective history.

The second artistic part of the dissertation is the play “One Hundred Years’ Medical record”. It will have its premiere in Rovaniemi at the cultural house Wiljam on September 7, 2024, directed by Juha Hurme for Lapland’s student theater.

The personal story and the very impressive works enchanted the entire group of participants. Erkki’s presentation sparked a lot of discussion on the topic and especially provoked a lot of thoughts.