Live Free or Die, Rhonda Schaller Studio, Chelsea, New York
Harry Matti Hukkinen Exhibits in "Live Free or Die" at Rhonda Schaller Studio, Chelsea, New York
March 8–31, 2007 · 547 West 27th Street, Suite 529, New York, NY
NEW YORK, NY. Sculptor and painter Harry Matti Hukkinen was one of 27 artists selected for Live Free or Die, a group exhibition at Rhonda Schaller Studio in Manhattan's Chelsea gallery district. The show ran from March 8 through March 31, 2007, with an opening reception on Saturday, March 10.
The exhibition was curated by Rhonda Schaller and Dave Jaquish, and the gallery published a color catalogue to accompany it. In the gallery's words, the show explored "the yearnings within the human soul for expression & release, dignity & freedom." The exhibiting artists represented many cultures and worked in media ranging from video and oil painting to steel and encaustic, taking up themes of politics, control, personal freedom, reinvention, and rebirth.
Hukkinen exhibited Vortex, a large-scale oil on canvas measuring 48 by 60 inches. The painting sets a warm, luminous form against a deep, swirling dark field. Its sweeping brushwork gives the canvas the sense of motion its title suggests. The piece reflects Hukkinen's long engagement with the classical tradition, in which the study of light, form, and proportion is a path toward the beautiful.
Vortex was reproduced in the exhibition's limited-edition color catalogue, published by Blue Pearl Press New York. Rhonda Schaller Studio's listing for the show also appeared in the March–April 2007 Chelsea gallery guide presented by Interview and Art in America.
Other exhibiting artists included Diane Bush, Cullen Washington Jr., Rees Shad, Rina Peleg, Jenny Pompe, Karen Gutfreund, and gallery founder Rhonda Schaller.
About Rhonda Schaller Studio
Rhonda Schaller Studio was an exhibition space in the West Chelsea gallery district, founded by artist, author, and educator Rhonda Schaller. Schaller also co-founded Ceres Gallery and later served in leadership roles at Pratt Institute. She is the author of Create Your Art Career and other guides for working artists.
About Harry Matti Hukkinen
Harry Matti Hukkinen is a Finnish-born American sculptor, painter, and educator based in Idaho. He holds an MFA in Sculpture from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and has exhibited in New York, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Hawai'i, and the United Arab Emirates, including the 29th Annual Exhibition of the Emirates Fine Arts Society at the Sharjah Art Museum.
