Leena Kangaskoski (b. 1982, Oulu) currently lives and works in Helsinki, Finland.
The practice of Finnish artist Leena Kangaskoski engages with situations and assumptions in which the autonomous and know-it-all role of the human individual comes into question. In her works Kangaskoski takes on references from popular science, self-help and cultural idioms in attempt to reveal the inherent paradoxes we often take for granted. She has been trying to locate the border between human and animal on cellular level as well as inside the individual, the border between mind and body. In her latest ongoing series she explores how dependent we are as a species in one and other through physical interaction and touch. Currently Kangaskoski is also working on a public commission that looks at mineral evolution and the close relationship between living organisms and rocks.
Kangaskoski’s works are often distilled installations in which the materiality of the work and it’s movement play an important part. She is interested in the metamorphosis of materials, be it in their shifting cultural readings or abilities to shapeshift in different conditions.
Leena Kangaskoski is a Master of Arts from the Royal College of Art London, and a Bachelor from University of Art & Design Helsinki. She is a member of Association of Finnish Sculptors and MUU Artists’ Association.