A piece of sky woven into a blanket draws the mind
 far into the nebulae, all the way to Sagittarius,
into the brightest heart of the Milky Way. 

Singular and precious, a copper-hued celestial body
rests amid a boundless sea of stars. 

Humanity reaches up to the sky, feeling the edges
between comprehension and the unknown. 

Seeking meaning in existence,
peace in what we do not yet understand. 

Ryynänen’s three-dimensional works explore different ways of relating to something
more-than-human. The exhibition Beyond the Field of Observation takes the viewer
from a laboratory to distant galaxies, a moment of rest and the contemplative
stillness of an altar space. Bewilderment gives way to tranquility, peace yields to
uncertainty.

What happens when our need to explain and control encounters something beyond
the reach of the senses and the limits of understanding? Some of the works take the
form of machines. They become intermediaries in humanity’s timeless endeavor to
make sense of its place in the world.

Ancient materials form the starting point for the works, and Ryynänen listens for life
inside them. She melts and burns and brings materials together in an alchemical
manner. The light glowing from within heated metal is irresistible to the artist,
carrying a magical echo of the universe’s earliest moments.

Hanna Ryynänen (b. 1993, Lapinlahti) has her roots in jewelry art, which she
studied at the Saimaa University of Applied Sciences (Bachelor of Culture and Arts,
2016) and at Sint Lucas Antwerpen in Belgium. In 2024, she graduated with a
Master of Fine Arts from Cranbrook Academy of Art in the USA. Ryynänen works in
Siilinjärvi and Lappeenranta.

Metal as a material lies at the heart of Ryynänen’s practice, and she makes use of
various art and craft techniques. In addition to objects and installations, she creates
public artworks.

This work has been supported by the Arts Promotion Centre
Finland’s Arts Council of North Savo.