It has been predicted that robotisation will claim the jobs of 300 million people in the future. What kind of work will future robots do? And what does it mean for mankind when robots enter the workforce? Robots are also becoming a part of the everyday lives of ordinary people. What will these everyday robots be like and what can they do to help humans? At what stage will a household robot be so helpful that it exceeds a human in effectiveness? Can human-to-human communication be replaced with a nursing robot?
Ossi Pirkonen (b. 1979) is a multi-faced illustrator from Helsinki, who has graduated from the Institute of Design in Lahti. He has also studied visual communication in Bergen and taken a master class in character illustration in Berlin. Pirkonen’s playful pixel and vector illustrations have been featured in textbooks, advertisements and covers of children’s music albums. His clients include the NBA, Lucasfilm, CERN, Veikkaus, Kone, Tallink, Sanoma Pro, EMI Finland, Vodafone, Teos, Hasan & Partners and Kesko.
In his exhibition, illustrator Ossi Pirkonen examines the thought-provoking topic of robotics through various lenses. By combining robots of different styles in his works, the illustrator strives to find the essence of robotics and, once found, to redefine it. The Robotics 101 exhibition deconstructs robots into pieces and takes the viewer in for a closer look.
”In the Transformers animated TV show and toyline, the robots work by changing into and combining different things. The Robotics 101 exhibition follows the same formula. By combining different pieces from the world of robotics, it is possible to see the big picture more clearly” says Pirkonen.
The robots at the exhibition are pictures of the times. Pirkonen has delved deep into why robots look the way they do. And why are the faces of some robots so expressionless? The works of Pirkonen, who calls illustration his calling, often contain different characters. The illustrator is drawn to cute figures, large heads and big eyes. Pirkonen’s idols hail from Japan and Eastern Europe. He also counts the Moomins among his influences.
Pirkonen has always been interested in the Transformers robots. For the exhibit, he prepared robot-themed studies and sketches for several months before completing the large, final works created with marker pens. The illustrator used existing robots and robot parts as the basis for this series of drawings. This approach gave shape to such creations as the robot refined from parts of modern domestic robots, a robot inspired by films and a robot from the past, whose parts come from its old mechanical ancestors.Transformers: Animated is an animated TV series from the US that originally aired from 2007–2009. The series is based on robots that change their shape and it was produced by Cartoon Network Studios and animated by Studio 4°C. The main protagonist of the series is Optimus Prime, who transforms into a semi truck.
For the illustrator who used to draw a lot with his father and friends in his childhood, expressing himself meticulously by hand is as natural as working on the computer. Pirkonen’s characters and worlds have also leapt off the pages of publications and found lives in the public space in the form of large-scale murals.
For Pirkonen, the used technique or the size of the piece have little effect on the nature of the work itself: whether he is creating images by hand or with the computer, or whether the scale is small or large, he is always illustrating. For Pirkonen, illustration is a passion through which he produces all of his works. On Meet the Illustrator afternoon, the public has the opportunity to meet the artist at work.
ossipirkonen.com
Transformers: Animated is an animated TV series from the US that originally aired from 2007–2009. The series is based on robots that change their shape and it was produced by Cartoon Network Studios and animated by Studio 4°C. The main protagonist of the series is Optimus Prime, who transforms into a semi truck.
Events:
Galleria Kuvitus is pleased to invite you to the opening of illustrator Ossi Pirkonen’s exhibition ’Robotics 101’ on Thursday 8 March at 6–8 pm. The Opening Party is sponsored by Stadin Panimo. Welcome!
On ’Meet the Illustrator – Ossi Pirkonen’ afternoon on Saturday 17 March 12-4pm, the public has the opportunity to meet and greet the illustrator. You are warmly welcome!
Kiitos vierailustasi! Thanks for visiting us!
