Mari Hokkanen, The Grand Tour: Cabinet of Wonders

Here we have the hand of Jesus the Savior that drove Dostoevsky insane, a pile of middle-aged men’s heads, saints’ feet, and sex-offending swans—soon to end up in the pot once Leda gets going. All sorts of things one might pick up from the world’s museums. In the spring of 2023, photographic artist Mari Hokkanen briefly became an aristocrat, traveling by train for two months across Europe, loosely following the historical Grand Tour route and traditions. The Grand Tour, which began in the 17th century, was an educational journey and a rite of passage into adulthood for upper-class men. Travellers were expected to take an interest in Renaissance art, Greek mythology, and the collection of exotic objects. This tradition also gave rise to the art trade, resulting in thousands of forged souvenirs. Hokkanen, too, collected art — by photographing, in a rather haphazard manner, details from museum and gallery works that captivated her. Upon returning home, she cut the photographs into pieces and reassembled them in her studio into new compositions, photo-based textiles, and kinetic sculptures. In her hands, Old Master paintings acquired a feminist and atheist perspectives, and she came to realize that in many ways, the world 600 years ago was astonishingly similar to today.