Works by Emma Ainala and Aki Turunen are on view at "Det Nuttede" at Sophienholm in Denmark.
Can art be cute? This is the question posed by the exhibition ”Det Nuttede”, which presents 12 contemporary artists who each in their own way offer different takes on the aesthetics that characterise our time.
The exhibition is inspired by American theorist Sianne Ngai's book Our Aesthetic Categories: The Cute, the Zany, and the Interesting (2012), which shakes up the old aesthetic categories and adds a new one: the category of ”the cute”. Ngai argues that cuteness is not just a style, but an affective category that reveals power structures and cultural norms. Cute can evoke both affection and aggression at the same time and plays a central role in everything from art and design to social media and technology.
Cuteness is often associated with Japanese kawaii aesthetic andooor American pop culture, but "Det Nuttede" looks also to Nordic and aesthetic context and asks, is there something we can call the Nordic cute?
Artists: Evo Sidney (DK), Malin Molin (SE), Emma Ainala (FI), Kathrine Ærtebjerg (DK), Alberte Skronski (DK), Anna Aagaard Jensen (DK), Aki Turunen (FI), Stefan Tcherepnin (US/SE), Ida Thorhauge (DK), Cecilie Penney (DK), Sofie Burgaard (DK) and Luca Bjørnsten (DK).
"Det Nuttede" runs until Aigust 31 at Sophienholm.
Read more about the exhibition here
Emma Ainala: Spring Cacophony (2022), oil on canvas, 160 x 140 cm. Photo: Jussi Tiainen.
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