Riikka Hyvönen is a visual artist, known for her unconventional use of materials and colours. Born in the Finnish side of Lapland, Hyvönen studied art in London and is currently based in Berlin. Roller derby and its eccentric, feminist subculture inspires her in the making of her current series in progress, called the "Roller Derby Kisses". For her project, Hyvönen, who used to play derby on a weekly basis herself, creates gigantic sculptural paintings representing the multi-coloured bruises that fearless players get from time to time in the swirl of the game. She is particularly fascinated by the way these momentary markings on skin get a whole new meaning inside the original culture of derby girls: in her work, Hyvönen recreates hypnotising derby kisses on canvas. In the making of each artwork, she uses wood, MDF, leather, glitter, and various tools from paintbrushes to jigsaw pieces. All of her gigantic 3D works are based on real photographs, sent to her by derby girls from around the world.
"I am fascinated by skin. Because skin — protective, fragile and strong — is such an indivisible part of being human. In life, like in the game, things come and go, but sometimes they leave marks behind. Our skin tells the stories of our lives. Like that time when a dangerously talented blocker once knocked me out of bounds.
This project began from a realisation: I wanted to capture the momentary marks, the bruises, that are seen in a completely different light in the mainstream culture than inside the subculture of derby players. That’s where my investigation of the psychology of bruises started.
Through making artworks of large scale, with a remarkable amount of sparkle, glitter and colour, I objectify the girls completely, but in the same way as they objectify themselves. With the kitsch, tacky, thoroughly questionable elegance, my aim is to capture the unapologetic representation of beauty that roller derby is all about.
I want to help people find beauty in the unexpected — like in bruises the size of a head and of twelve different colours."
’Roller Derby Kisses have been exhibited in London, Helsinki, Brussels, Los Angeles, Betton (France) and Mänttä (Finland).
By now, her works have been seen by millions on the internet. She has been interviewed by hundreds of writers from such publications as Vice, Dazed, Konbini, The Huffington Post, Hi-Fructose, Juxtapoz and The Guardian to mention a few.
Skills
- Art
- Fine Art
- Painting
- Acrylic Painting
- Sculpting
Education
B.A (hons) Fine Art
- London, United Kingdom