Minna Pöllänen

Minna Pöllänen’s practice maneuvers between photography, site-specific works and participatory projects, often times combining elements from each method. Her thematic focus is on the perception of place and landscape and on the different ways in which environments are perceived, stereotyped and commodified.

She works through small-scale sculptural interventions made out of common artifacts and scrap wood. These structures then develop into site-specific installations or are photographed – mediating between and juxtaposing elements of indoors and outdoors.

Pöllänen is specifically interested in the touristic strategies imposed on nature, such as nature trails, viewing platforms and sightseeing tours. This politics of landscape is critically analyzed in her work in order to engage the viewer to reflect our relationship with the environment. She wants to ask questions like: What defines an ideal landscape and the right viewpoint to it? What is the role of the spectator in valuing the environment?

Pöllänen is participating in the Triangle Arts Association’s Residency Program in Dumbo in July-September, spending her 3-month period as a member of Triangle’s network of international professional artists. 

http://www.minnapollanen.com/

http://triangleworkshop.org/