Raisa Raekallio & Misha del Val, 'Sauna Painting #2 (Awakening)', oil on linen, 115 x 135 cm, 2021
Raisa Raekallio & Misha del Val, 'Sauna Painting #1 (Purgatory)', oil on linen, 147 x 173 cm, 2021
'I rested my head back on the top of the seat of the bus, stretched my feet under the seat in front and, through the glass window, saw fantastical sceneries: I saw a table in the middle of the forest, around which types of different convictions and make-ups were holding hands. I saw the climax of a ball in the times of Anna Karenina. I saw a letkajenkka without beginning and without end. I saw someone with the idiot’s invincible smile stamped on their face, while a bloke next to them was carrying a katana. I saw trees everywhere. I noticed the coldness and slight pressure of the glass window on the skin of my forehead. The vehicle kept its steady course. I smiled lightly, secretly, reminded of my own fortune.
I resolved to pay a visit to the cockpit of the vehicle, in order to share impressions with the pilot and offer them my gratitude and enthusiasm with the journey - and while I was at it, ask them to please turn the heating down a bit. I stood up and excused myself. The person sitting next to me folded their knees with a smile. I stumbled down the corridor, grasping with my hands at the lines of seats. At both sides, I noticed passengers travelling pleasantly, some mesmerised by the same mosaic of sights, some just picking their noses. Then, I arrived at the cockpit to I discovered with terror that no one was at the controls. The driver’s seat was empty, unoccupied, vacío. It had all along been empty. A cold chill run up my spine and my body became billiard balls, the substance of a sigh, silent fireworks; my being the heart of a doughnut. Now, I could freak out and make a scene, or I could just take the situation in and be cool with it. I took a couple of deep breaths. I turned around, walked back to my seat, sat back and kept enjoying the ride.'
Misha del Val
The Clown, the Pilot and the Samurai is supported by the Alfred Kordelin Foundation and Taike - Arts Promotion Centre Finland, Lapland Regional Fund
I resolved to pay a visit to the cockpit of the vehicle, in order to share impressions with the pilot and offer them my gratitude and enthusiasm with the journey - and while I was at it, ask them to please turn the heating down a bit. I stood up and excused myself. The person sitting next to me folded their knees with a smile. I stumbled down the corridor, grasping with my hands at the lines of seats. At both sides, I noticed passengers travelling pleasantly, some mesmerised by the same mosaic of sights, some just picking their noses. Then, I arrived at the cockpit to I discovered with terror that no one was at the controls. The driver’s seat was empty, unoccupied, vacío. It had all along been empty. A cold chill run up my spine and my body became billiard balls, the substance of a sigh, silent fireworks; my being the heart of a doughnut. Now, I could freak out and make a scene, or I could just take the situation in and be cool with it. I took a couple of deep breaths. I turned around, walked back to my seat, sat back and kept enjoying the ride.'
Misha del Val
The Clown, the Pilot and the Samurai is supported by the Alfred Kordelin Foundation and Taike - Arts Promotion Centre Finland, Lapland Regional Fund
Raisa Raekallio & Misha del Val
'The Clown, the Pilot and the Samurai'
Makasiini Contemporary Studio, Turku, Finland
12th February - 14th March, 2021
Gallery pics: Juuli Kangasniemi