Juhana Moisander’s Ethology of a Man is a videoinstallation about power and human group behaviour

With their movements, the performers depict different scenes that show dynamics of power, such as a crowd in a frenzied ecstasy and the rise and fall of leaders. The compositions of human characters, the colour scheme and the use of light reference European Baroque paintings of the 16th and 17th centuries. For his new piece Juhana Moisander has studied altarpieces and how human groups are depicted in them and art history in general – what makes a group visually interesting. Thoughts about how surroundings and peer pressure influence an individual’s moral choices are starting points for this new piece.

"People are brought together by, for instance, a church, a demonstration or a concert. These groups are always temporary by nature – they convene and then disintegrate. The group of people condenses and an individual becomes part of something larger than themself. The situation reaches a point of culmination after which everyone slowly breaks apart and retreats to their nook. In order to function, the group needs a focus point through which the common message or reason of existence can be channeled", ponders Moisander.

Juhana Moisander (b. 1977) is known for media art in which sound, image and space form a distinct relationship with a strong ambiance. He graduated as Master of Arts from the University of Art and Design Helsinki (now Aalto University) in 2007. Moisander lives and works in Karkkila, Finland.

Ethology of a Man has been realised through coproduction funding by The Promotion Centre for Audiovisual Culture (AVEK) and EMMA Espoo Museum of Modern Art. The work was selected on the basis of an open call held in spring 2018.

The installation is presented at EMMA’s Areena space from 26 Mar to 7 Jul 2019. Areena is a showroom for experimental, cross-disciplinary and process-form art, as well as for various cooperation projects.