Latest addition to the art collection of the Academy of Fine Arts displayed in Mylly’s courtyard
Hertta Puhakka’s Pala taivasta has been installed in the exterior wall in the courtyard of the Mylly building.
The Mylly building on the University of the Arts’ Sörnäinen campus has welcomed a new work of art to its walls: a sculpture purchased for the Academy of Fine Arts’ art collection, Pala taivasta (A Piece of Sky), has been installed on the outside wall of the courtyard. The artist, Hertta Puhakka, is a second-year student at the Academy of Fine Arts, and the sculpture was first exhibited in the course exhibition Out – Back in spring 2024.
This is the first acquisition for the art collection made by the new Dean of the Academy of Fine Arts, Leevi Haapala. Due to the move to new premises, the accumulation of the collection has been on hiatus, and Pala taivasta is the first acquisition in years.
The metal sculpture reaches for the clouds
The work is a relief metal sculpture that represents the sky and clouds and creates a sense of continuity of movement in different directions. The sculpture course led by Inka Nieminen in which the work was created, was based on sustainability and natural and leftover materials. Hertta Puhakka chose to work with scrap metal, which she shredded, welded and assembled, while watching the spring sky reflect on Mylly’s windows. “The course strengthened my approach to materials and work – creating with what is available,” says the artist.
The subject of the sculpture is borrowing a piece of sky and capturing the sensation evoked by the blue colour. “The work features materials familiar from buildings, clouds in a piece of corrugated iron. In addition to the poetic aspect, the structures, repetitions, and rhythms of the composition play an important role,” says the artist.
Leevi Haapala’s attention was drawn to the work’s durable materials and controlled, balanced impression.
“I visited the course exhibition and Hertta’s work immediately caught my eye. The proportions, colours and composition of the blue and white metalwork were all in harmony. The relief is both balanced and dynamic,” describes Haapala.
The sculpture on the wall can be seen in the upper courtyard of the Mylly building at Kaikukatu 5.
“The work creates a contrast with the surrounding concrete and brick architecture. It also celebrates the reopening of the Mylly courtyard after a long renovation of the neighbouring building,” says Haapala.
Art collection
The collection of the Academy of Fine Arts includes more than 300 artworks and in addition, a separate collection consisting of several hundred printmaking works. The oldest dated works are from 1889. The collection mainly consists of works by students of the Academy of Fine Arts, providing a versatile overview of the history of academic art education in Finland and Finnish fine arts from the 19th century to the present day.