Riita Ikonen: I Fly and Melt

Based in London, Riita Ikonen is an artist who hails from Finland. She has recently graduated from the Royal College of Art in London. I was impressed by the photos of her objects of art. In my opinion, they are poetical, touching, and contain a profound message. Why is Riita Ikonen a snowflake?

“There has not been snow during Christmas in Finland for the past two years. It is very unusual and worries me. I started thinking about global warming and its consequences. I have focused on a never-ending site-specific project that deals with global warming,” says the artist.

She calls this project “Me Again.” She reappeared in the Baltic Sea close to Helsinki in the form of a seal or something like that. The Baltic Sea suffers from heavy pollution caused primarily by Baltic fleets and oil spills. The ice melts and covers the Baltic Sea for a shorter period of time every year. The photos of the Baltic Sea and the snowflake were taken by Anni Koponen. She made other projects, such as the Leaf and the Bird, in collaboration with Anja Schaffner. The artists wish to return to nature in a sentimental way. Becoming a leaf or a bird should enable them such a return. Photographer Anja Schaffner takes photos of Riita Ikonen in rough nature. The Bird and the Leaf are rootless characters.
“We empathize with them. Nature is changeable. It is not possible to return,” says Riita Ikonen.
For more information, see www.riitaikonen.com.

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