When the bucket of an excavator and an artist’s paintbrush move, something is found and something is covered. My longstanding interest in construction machinery and construction sites has become part of my artistic work, which I refer to as conceptual digging. I apply paint with a brush and wipe the surface of the paint with a rag – this, too, is digging. I work with oil and aquarell painting and with experimental video.
I link the story of my work Osa maailmaa / A Part of the World (2006, City of Helsinki Collection) to my interest in construction machinery; a lorry is also a tool. As a small child, I almost ran into the path of an oncoming lorry. Now as an adult, I think that understanding the danger of death posed by the lorry marked a significant turning point. I developed a nascent awareness of my existence as an invidual person. But in order to survive, I had to be satisfied with being a part of the world.
In many of my works, I see adaptations of characters, both together and apart. Construction sites touch people; they may cause irritation at their inconvenience or concern that nature is being destroyed. Excavators are tools used to dig. But they can also be fascinating.
Anna-Leena Vilhunen 2025