Few years ago, a new art museum called Amos Rex opened its doors in the center of Helsinki, my hometown. Its first exhibition was done with teamLab from Tokio, it was immersive and breath-taking. It set an impossibly high standard and since the next one about Egypt was somewhat underwhelming, I haven’t visited Amos Rex since. Until the absolutely stunning exhibition ‘The Quiet Parade’ by Hans Op de Beeck came into town and I wanted to see it. For some reason or another, I didn’t get around to visiting it until the very last week of the exhibition, which was this week. So it was rather fitting that I stood for two hours in the line outside in the -10 degrees Celcius weather, suits me right that I didn’t go earlier. 😀 Well, it was at least sunny.
It was absolutely enchanting. The eerie one-colored statues, many life-sized, quietly sitting there… paired with the dark exhibition hall with well-planned spots of lights and calm music. The centerpiece was called ‘Danse Macabre’ – a sculpture of a carousel.
“Danse Macabre”
It was in such startling contrast to a regular carousel – its monotone grey color, skeletons, unmoving stillness, and quietness without the usual cheerful music that accompanies carousels. It was a beautiful piece and I could have stared at its beautiful details for hours. In fact, I could have spent hours in there if only I could have been alone, surrounded by shadows and quiet calming music. There are grey sofas all over for people to sit and take in the statues in silent awe but it was quite impossible to do that with so many people walking around and whispering chatter filling the hall.
My favorite sculpture was ‘Dancer‘. I paid attention to her legs first, I admired the realistic contours of her well-developed muscles. Then her face looked peaceful and tired and smiling depending on the different angles I looked at her. Lastly, I notice the cigarette in her hand. I spent the most time watching her, and I was mesmerized. The details on her costume and headpiece were astounding, especially the feathers. And her thick eyelashes created shadows on her face underneath the spotlights. Unfortunately, there weren’t any postcards or posters sold about her at the museum shop, cos I would love to have a picture of her on my walls at home.
All in all, ‘The Quiet Parade’ was worth the two hours of wait. If you ever get a chance to see Hans Op de Beeck’s work in some museum, do not miss it.
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