Oloseutu
2024–ongoingceramics, glass, sand, bronze, water, (chipboard)
photos by Tuure Leppänen, Veera Lakovaara / Oulu Art Museum, Meri Hallenberg
I think of landscape as layers of states of being. As a fusion of regions. As a place where water circulates in my fjords, freezes and dries up. Where warm and cool streams meet. Purifying emotional residue and at the same time nourishing the new. A navel flower rising from the ground.
The installation Oloseutu is part of Liwata’s ongoing project, in which she explores how landscapes can express ideas about nationality. Throughout history, the landscape has been utilised in the construction of national identity, such as in 19th-century Finland which strove for independence. Could new landscapes reveal new ideas about what nationality could be?
A key aspect of the work is a sense of being in-between—a landscape that is not fixed, but constantly shifting and layered. Materials such as clay, sand, and glass highlight the cycle of life—how we return to the earth and become part of new landscapes. There are references to the Congo River and the fishing villages along it, stemming from family ties as well as frozen currents in the Finnish vicinity. Together, the body of work describes an emotional state dealing with the loss, where warm and cool streams flow from the body of the landscape.
The title Oloseutu refers to philosopher Gloria Anzaldúa’s theory of the borderland (“olo” meaning “feeling” or “state of being” in Finnish). Anzaldúa describes a borderland as a third space that forms when cultures, worldviews, or identities meet. In the case of Oloseutu, a borderland can be thought of as a state of mind and a nation which is formed from feelings.
“Oloseutu” exhibited at HAM gallery (2025)
“Oloseutu” exhibited at Oulu Art Museum (2024)
“Oloseutu” exhibited at the Academy of Fine Arts Helsinki (2024)
