Taidemaalariliitto

Irmeli Hulkko`s large-scale paintings alternate between the apparently obvious and the absolutely impossible, creating a dialogue between the two. The artist expresses these themes with ovals, circles and edgy shapes. The impressiveness of the depicted spaces is enhanced by the large size of the works. We can almost enter a familiar three-dimensional space, only to discover that the space does not adhere to our everyday logic. It seems to be in multiple places and in multiple relations to the other elements of the painting at the same time. Hulkko utilises elements that confuse your eyes or even your body to lure us away from the familiar.

Looking at Hulkko’s paintings takes me to both sides of the veil: I see the familiar while simultaneously experiencing the inexplicable, which I nevertheless know to exist.

Arto Jurttila