Assa Kauppi We are all here for the funeral
Stockholm, 11.01 – 17.02 2024
GSA Gallery is proud to present Assa Kauppi’s fourth solo exhibition at the gallery. In the exhibition We are all here for the funeral, a series of new sculptures are introduced.
In our shared existence, shadows of anxiety dance, when natural disasters frame our vulnerable ecosystem. The dissonance of uncertainty vibrates between our fingertips as the wild creatures, with their fur and feathers, seeking refuge from the ongoing catastrophe. When threats approach, pangolins curl up like living artworks of vulnerability, patiently waiting out the danger.
Crows fly across a sky heavy with concerns, and frogs lose their song of innocent croaking as the embrace of rain subsides.
We are confronted with a future where all living things are threatened. The existence of humanity and its devastating progress has not been prevented but inevitably collided with nature’s struggle for survival.
In the exhibition We are all here for the funeral the children have gathered. Their silence speak of inner resignation, but instead of protesting, they dress in mourning clothes. With clenched fists, they bid farewell to what once had the potential to bloom and live.
Kauppi unites us to bear witness to nature’s plea for peace. Through her works, she reminds us of our responsibility and our collective future. In creating this exhibition, Kauppi has explored questions concering a transforming planet and reflected on whether humanity will altogether face this funeral.
”I always used to bring home tadpoles and sometimes tadpole eggs when I was little to watch them grow. I never see them anymore, nor the swarm of small toads that used to hop on the road after it had rained. Perhaps it’s because I don’t stand in rubber boots in some swamp as often anymore.”
– Assa Kauppi
Assa Kauppi, born in 1977, lives and works in Stockholm. In the spring of 2011, she graduated from the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm, and concurrently, her collaboration with GSA Gallery began. Since then, Kauppi has exhibited nationally and internationally and has undertaken several public decorations. Her work has been showcased at fairs and museums in Istanbul, Krakow, Copenhagen, Miami, and Prague. Notable exhibitions in Sweden include the Borås Sculpture Biennial, Halmstad Art Hall, Kristinehamn Art Museum, Eskilstuna Art Museum, Art House in Luleå, and Bror Hjorth’s House in Uppsala.