"Gokann," the umbrella name given to three exhibitions of contemporary Finnish art now showing in Kyoto, is an accommodating term. The Japanese title was chosen for its multiplicity of meanings, all derived from typing in "g-o-k-a-n-n" on a computer then pressing the kanji-convert key. Those varied meanings are: "five senses"; "sense organs"; "sense of language"; "compatibility"; and "language stem" -- as well as more nebulous connotations covering pretty much anything to do with our relations to the world and to each other. Still, if the term is broad, so too is the range of artwork it is used to cover: 80 pieces from 26 artists working in a variety of media.
Put together by curator Megumi Matsuo and exhibition coordinator Marjatta Hanhijoki, "Gokann" is the fruition of three years of preparation and the rejoinder to the Artists' Association of Finland's exhibition of Japanese contemporary art that showed in Helsinki in 2002.
The first part of the show to open was Voice Gallery, exhibiting Sally Tykka's video piece "Power," which begins with the words "I wanted to make a work about my mother -- all I could think about was my father." This is a rather literal battle of the sexes: A large man and a petite woman fight it out in a boxing match lasting four minutes and 15 seconds. There's no knock-out and no winner. It's not an especially original take on the subject of personal relationships, but there are some thought-provoking touches. Our emotional vulnerability is suggested by the way the woman is stripped to the waist. Interestingly, neither combatant seems especially bent on securing a total victory.