DEUS PROTECTOR NOSTER

First shown in: PORI ART MUSEUM PROJECT ROOM, Pori, Finland, 1 February – 10 March 2002

Anne Koskinen’s work made for the Project Room at the Pori Art Museum is called Deus Protector Noster. The piece consists of roadkill she has found along the route between Pori and Helsinki, which she has cast in bronze. The bronze pieces have a timeless subtlety to them, while they also function as topical reminders of the impact our actions have on nature.

The problem of original and copy is a recurring theme in Anne Koskinen’s work. Koskinen leaves ‘traces’ of the original in her pieces. She creates a strata of interpretation where the history and present form of the work are both simultaneously present, interleaved with each other. This dual character also manifests in a continuous movement of presence / absence. The chains of association triggered by the materials Koskinen uses in her works lead to different senses, the works allude to that which has been, but which is missing, while they also allude to that which is visible.

The work process is an integral part of Koskinen’s Deus Protector Noster. Koskinen finds new ways of using the traditional bronze casting technique. The mould to be fired is made directly on the kernel so that it remains inside the finished piece. The piece is simultaneously a copy and an original. The casting process is very ritualistic. It emphasises the affinity of the dead animal to a relic.
Pori Art Museum
The heraldry motto of the city of Pori DEUS PROTECTOR NOSTER became also the title of the series.
Information in Finnish here


Thanks to: Finnish Cultural Foundation, Alfred Kordelin Foundation

Collections: Helsinki City Art Museum, Helsinki, Finland, Kuntsi Museum of Modern Art, Collection Swanljung, Vaasa, Finland, Apotekets Konstförening, Sweden, Ilona Anhava, Helsinki, Finland, private collections, the artist’s collection