INARI KIURU
BORN 1972
HELSINKI, FINLAND
LIVES MELBOURNE, VICTORIA
Inari Kiuru is an artist and designer with a multidisciplinary practice encompassing mixed media installation, objects, images and jewellery. Migrating from Finland to Australia in 1995, Kiuru’s Nordic heritage has given her a strong native relationship with nature and a finely tuned ability to observe seasonal changes. Through her practice, Kiuru explores the interaction of light, weather and the seasons on urban settings to celebrate the sometimes unexpected or hidden beauty found in both the natural and built world. Her work also draws parallels between our private internal landscape and our shared external environments.
Heavy water (Fukushima butterflies), 2017
concrete, iron oxide, pigments, wax, mild steel, iron filings
Heavy water vessel is an homage to the Japanese 'mizusashi' water jar tradition.
Nights at the factory, 2015
concrete, iron oxide pigment, paint, sealant
A forest spirit visits the city alone series of brooches
People on streets (Under Pressure), 2017
concrete, pigments, mica, iron, paint, mild and stainless steel
The galaxies under your feet, 2017
concrete, pigments, mica, mild and stainless steel, protective wax
The gaze, 2017
concrete, pigments, ‘dog tooth’ calcite, mild and stainless steel, protective wax
Nameless windows hold secrets, 2018
concrete, pigments, mica, paint, mild and stainless steel, protective wax
A forest spirit visits the city alone, 2017
concrete, pigments, glass, mild and stainless steel, protective wax
Morning at the station, 2017
concrete, pigments, glass, mild and stainless steel, protective wax
11am, oceanbound, 2017
concrete, pigments, mica, mild and stainless steel, protective wax
First lights of the evening, 2017
concrete, pigments, ‘dog tooth’ calcite, mild and stainless steel, protective wax
A forest spirit visits the city alone series of concrete brooches describes the meeting of natural and urban elements. Cast from common concrete mixed with organic pigments and minerals, the materiality of the brooches echoes the hard structures and surfaces of the inner city environment, while their subtle tonality – created by pigments, glass fragments and sugar-fired enamel – gently reminds us of the natural world. Memory of the sea, interactive table sculpture, 2017 concrete, pigments, mica, UV and water resistant sealant Memory of the sea was designed for Steinbeisser, an Amsterdam-based company that orchestrates a series of unique immersive dining experiences and offers radically different ways of enjoying food. The unexpected presence of concrete on the dining table, the versatility of the components and the ability to freely reconfigure the set lends a fresh novelty and playfulness to the seemingly limited and familiar range of available tableware.