Delfu

Delfu is an exhibition centered around the figure of the eponymous dolphin Delfu, occupying center stage, and surrounded by her world of Sea, Moony, Sun, and Air. The work is an exploration of the act of sculpting which emphasizes the instinctual, sensuous knowledge guiding the hand. A key theme in the exhibition is the tension between concealing and disclosing. Through an act of subtle subterfuge the viewer is led to see the sculpted wooden dolphin as being ceramic, or perhaps sculpted stone.

Deep, tactile immersion in the sculpting process allows something until then impalpable to emerge and receive a form. It is an exercise in world-building, in this instance it is one of Sea‘s ceramic waves, Moony‘s acrylic nebular haloes, Sun‘s ethereal shapes, and the marble and concrete Air, which, however, doesn’t breathe. In their midst, the glistening Delfu stands atop a pedestal, almost like in a dear memory or a dream, having been transformed from a robust piece of wood into a multicolored dolphin, yet bearing no traces of the arduous labor of her becoming.

The exhibition Delfu was exhibited in 2017 at Gallery Huuto in Helsinki. The exhibition was also partially exhibited in 2018 at the Space for Free Arts in Helsinki and in 2025 at the Tampere Art Museum.

For more information: Press release / Gallery Huuto, text by Lauri Alaviitala