In this interview, Niina Vatanen reflects upon her artistic career, the challenges and various influences which had an impact on her conceptual approach. Starting with her own personal diaries to archival materials found in museums, Vatanen has repeatedly attempted to depict time and our perception of it as the core question in her work. Her tools for doing this may vary from found photographs, videos, texts and mathematics, but her focus has always been on decoding the intricate workings of time’s passage. She uses everything from a memory and its fading as a means to trace its passing, to a stick stuck in the sand to function as a sun dial. Vatanen metaphorically grapples with the Greek myth featuring the god Chronos, as the personification of time.
Filmed and edited by Daniel Court 2021
All photographic copyright: Niina Vatanen 2021
Filmed during the Örö Residency Programm