Agora / Portsa / 9x12 / Marathon / Gloria Vanderbilt / Strange, stranger / TIE 2000 / 1918 / what's new?

Pori Art Museum's publications, ISSN 0359-4327, ISBN 951-9355-17-0

Now that absolutely everything is explained by using the concept of postmodern, one cannot help noticing how sharp it still remains even amongst all the explaining that goes on in this day and age.

I quote Fredric Jameson: "In this situation, parody will find it has no role to play. Its term is over, and the peculiar new phenomenon called pastiche is gradually taking over from it. Like parody, pastiche too is imitation of a particular mask, talk in a dead language; but it is neutral affectation without any of the ulterior motives of parody, with the incentive of satire cut out, it lacks laughter and any kind of faith in that, parallel to the abnormal language adopted for a moment there still exists some kind of sane linguistic normality somewhere."

The stream of thought requires, as Jameson has pointed out, a redefinition of many of the concepts used in a certain sense from the modernistic aspect. Jameson puts forward, with emphasis, Althusser's definition of ideology as an imaginary relation of the subject to the real conditions of his existence.

What has this got to do with Ismo Kajander's "Marathon"? In my opinion, postmodernism has nothing to do with it.

That is why this exhibition is so important just at this point in time. The examination of avant-gardism as a historical phenomenon in this article is intended as a reminder of the forces which keep modernism still alive. This art is vital and lucid.

Ismo Kajander's works of art are more and more clear-cut. He is wondering how far it is possible to go. This situation has the genuine feel of tightrope dancing. The audience are holding their breath. They have confidence in the artist and wish to see more and more daring performances. But at the same time they are afraid that the rope may snap, the supports may be removed and the tent carried away.

Riitta Nikula 1987

From the essay in
Marathon -exhibition book