Finnish artist Kaarina Kaikkonen creates site-specific installations by recycling secondhand clothing. The artist suspends the garments like a line of laundry hanging out to dry. Who would have thought that clotheslines would make such intriguing and eye-catching art?
In an interview with Liverpool Daily Post, Kaikkonen reveals her personal connection to each of these clothing-based art projects that are, in their simplest forms, artistic coping exercises. Initially, the apparel artist worked with men's jackets, shirts, and ties, finding inspiration from memories of her late father. In recent years, Kaikkonen has turned her attention onto the memory of her late mother, utilizing women's clothing and shoes. Holding on to clothing is a way of holding on to memories of people. In a way, hanging the articles of clothing high above is freeing.
Kaikkonen's large-scale installations have lined many streets and fields across the world. She began her creative apparel adventures in the 80s and has grown to master the art of lined clothing installations, producing fantastic, grandeur shapes in open spaces. Her pieces really transform any space they inhabit.
Images via EnvironmentalArt.net
Kaarina Kaikkonen website
via [Outsider Mag]