"Thornbirds." Memories of an Enlightening Art Exhibition

liisaviima
Feb 25
7 min read

Updated: Mar 6

First: Introduction

In the becoming March, 2025, one year has passed after my solo art exhibition "Thornbirds" in March last year. As that exhibition was quite a big effort for me and because it was one dream come true, I decided to write this blog, to not forget. And I want to share my feelings with you, my Dear reader!

I will try to keep this story short, building it basely on pictures taken from the most importat moments.

Art exhibition invitation features a painted woman in a red dress, text details event at Marski Gallery, Helsinki, by Liisa Viima, "Thornbirds."

The print of the exhibition. I wrote it also in Finnish.

I had agreed on the art exhibition with Marski Gallery (@marskibyscandic) at the hotel Marski by Scandic, Helsinki, already in September, 2023. I had most of the pieces ready till the end of that year, and the latest one in January, 2024, if I remember right. I hade started to work on the collections in 2022.

The name "Thornbirds" popped up based on the main painting I had nominated for the exhibition - "Annabell and Thornibirds", which is a large piece, (180 x 120 x 4) cm.

"The theme of the exhibition is the beauty of life despite the fact that life also hurts. The key piece of the exhibition is "Annabell and Thornibirds", which is inspired by an old story about thornbirds, and also by Colleen McCullough's novel "Thornbirds".

According to the story, this bird searches for a thornbush, and impales itself on its sharpest branch. When it dies, however, it sings more beautifully than any other living creature - and the world stops to listen to the song, and even God himself smiles in his heaven. Despite the tragedy, the story also includes hope and an understanding that we are all one here on earth, and there is and will be consolation and beauty despite suffering.

The exhibition consists of 20 oil paintings in different sizes painted from 2022 to 2024. The style is abstract and contemporary. Some of the works contain a clear subject matter, while others are purely based on the composition of colours and textures without any specific subject".

As I wanted to try to create a harmonic, comprehensive event for "Thornbirds", it was worth to include something special in it, too. Thus I asked my younger daughter, Mari, to compose some music for the occasion. She did.

And in December, 2023, we went to the fancy Helsinki City Library, Oodi (by the way, the best library in the world in 2019!), to record the music and some talk in the studio.

We took in three pieces. Mari was playing the piano, and we all four (Mari, her older sister Elina, my Haqqi and me) placed some human voices on the music. It was such a fantastic afternoon. Never to forget!

The audio was playing in the backround during the opening night on replay.

You can listen to it in my YouTube video, "Thornbids, a Memory of an Exhibition". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJIL0SaWxgw&t=37s and another, splashy video, from TikTok, if you like, too: https://vimeo.com/1059492320?share=copy#t=0

Oodi, The City Library of Helsinki. In the studio to make music and talk. Fantastic day!

From January to March 2024: preparing invitations for the guests, ordering snacks and drinks for the opening, calculating costs, preparing list of the pieces to be shown, preparing the nametags for the pieces, preparing the business cards, preparing the presentation file of the pieces, preparing the guest book and preparing infos to my SoMe channels.

I managed to do everything in time, and finally the last mile started: logistical arrangements. First to pack the pieces, then to drive them to Marski Gallery to the city center, and then to unpack and hang them on the fancy dark green walls. As well as the nametags. And to arrange all the presentation materials and the guest book, too.

Finally all the pieces were ready to travel, and we landed to Marski with our dear friend Ramadan, The Chauffeur! Ramadan helped me to hang the three big ones, but I had to manage the rest on my own. That was oukei! I took a coffee break with the beautiful tulips, and after some three hours I was ready.

It looked good! The positioning was perfect for that cave-like dark space. I loved the space - it was warm, silent and safe, like mother´s womb for a baby.

Next: the opening party of the "Thornbirds", 4.3.2024!

It was very exciting for me to sense the atmosphere of the opening evening. Afterwards I realised, that it had been quite a spectacle. I understood, that everything went extremely well, and the guests really seemed to enjoy, likewise myself. Like some Magical warmth would have surrounded us all! I am so grateful.

The Lady of the house, Jessica, first welcomed us, telling about the history and procedure of Marski Gallery. Some bubbling wine to cheer with, and then towards the delicious snack table! Chatting with the guests and the guests chatting with each other, getting acquainted - such a warm, relaxed and happy feeling all over. I got a very inspiring and enthusiasted troop to take to the tour on the exhibition.

When young I was the shyest person in the world.

But now, after decades of all kind of challenges in this respect, it was so easy for me to present the stories of and behind the pieces, it was such a pleasure! I tried my best to make the guests to follow and entertain, interactively. I think I succeeded!

We also had the joy to have Ms. Johanna Rusanen-Kartano in the party! Johanna is one on our brilliant talents in musical arts: award winning world famous opera singer, a soprano. She really has the gift to spread star dust and sun shine all over, where ever she goes, with her Charisma!

Johanna and me once (in fact many times) met, a very long time ago. I was working at a market store, when I was studying at the local high school, in our home town. Johanna´s family used to come to shop in the store, that is how I got to know her. Johanna was a young girl ar that time. Then Life took us to our own ways, when we grew adults.

But Life is wonderful - filled with surprises!

My car motor stopped in a forest road almost two years ago at my present hoodz, in the dark, when heading home from the horses stable. I was wondering, what on earth I could or should do. It was not very nice, it was getting colder and all. Suddenly a white Volvo drove beside me, and a man stepped out to help! "It is the cooler. I live nearby and get you some fluid to go on!" And he came back with RED fluid, filled my car cooler with it. And it worked! I asked him for his contact data to compensate him at least something via Mobile Pay.

Only next morning did I realize, who he was. Johanna´s husband! Of course I had heard and read news of Johanna through the years. At once I wrote a message to him telling that I used to know her wife, and immeadiately got a response back from him - "Greetings from Johanna"!

That is why I dared to ask her to attend, and she did! What a pleasure!

Pics from the opening:

And then, the tour:

Lady in black holding flowers describes abstract art in a dimly lit gallery, with wooden floors and colorful paintings lining the walls. — An old Lady Grinning Soul... telling stories about her paintings and life... The piece is "Mosaic". Even though my face looks so sad here, I was thrilled and happy!

In fact I had two openings! The second one was for our lovely team, from my job more mundane. It was wonderful, too! I have combined the pics of both in below. We had the joy to have a Doggie Guest, His Majesty Reino, too with us in the latter opening!

With Johanna:

It was such a joy to have you all there! In this pic I am with our world famous Opera Star, soprano Johanna Rusanen-Kartano! "Auringon lapset" - the children of the Sun - is how I named this pic at once, spontaneously. Mostly because She really Shines her Divine Art, her Warmth and Energy on us mortals, like the Sun!

Time to thank

In fact the story was not very short, like it usually happens to me. Hopefully you still liked to read. Thanks for joining me, every one, who came across "Thornbirds", in one way or another!

It was not a success for me based on sales.

But I did not count on that at all, either.

I counted on much more important: a possibility for me personally to evolve, mentally and spiritually, in many respects, and as an artist (or painter, like I wish to say). It is the most valuable thing. I feel my frequence rose a lot. I am sure, that my time will come, sales wise, too, sooner or later.

And at that time you, my dear fellow travellers, please note, that you have been a very important part of that Journey, with your sympathy and encouragement. So: thank you from the bottom of my Heart!

And heart warm thanks for you, too: my beloved daughters Mari and Elina, my lovely bonus daughter Suvi (who actually gave me a hint of this possibility in the first place), my beloved Haqqi, The Chauffeur Ramadan and of course Marski Gallery (Marski by Scandic) and Marski´s wonderful personnel!

I will add the last fotos, with the beautiful flowers I received. I love flowers! Please do not care about the filters, they are automatic. In the middle of the first row my feeling before the show. I will also add a couple of touching comments from the the guest book.