𝘞𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰 (2026)
ventilation infrastructure from an unlicensed party venue, stainless steel from an illegal catering operation, anodized aluminium, bronze, cast from found material, speakers, sound by Olli Aarni
Duo exhibition 𝘖𝘣𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘋𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 with Ville Laurinkoski, curated by Tawanda Appiah at Skånes konstförening, Malmö, Sweden, 2026
Matti Sumari often engages with industrial waste found on the outskirts of the city of Malmö. Scrap left in heaps to decay, far from the consumer gaze. Sheets of wavy metal, loose pipes, electronic debris, spiky exposed wires. Sumari devotes himself to the process of making through crumpling, cutting, hammering, bending, and welding. He repurposes materials to create sculptures in various dimensions, from substantial forms to minuscule ones that ornament and merge into the built or natural environment. In a way, his works are never devoid of history; they carry traces of prior existence.
In Object of Devotion Sumari presents We can’t sing but we do(2026), a sculptural installation with anthropomorphic characters that are imbued with agency. The inanimate objects sing their hearts out – vibrating and echoing through the physical histories embedded within their material selves. From their industrial creation, to their tenure as civil servants, to eventual removal and obsolescence, and finally new life at centre stage, reimagined by the artist.
As the body has its bodily functions, so does the architectural form of a structure or building. Absorbing heat during the day, pumping air, water and various other necessities through its systems. Our modern comfort systems, meant to be toiling away underneath us, while simultaneously trying to act invisible as ventilation channels or water piping and somehow hiding in plain sight. Here – a new parasocial relation may appear as a parasitic ventilation pipe jumps out of the shadows and acts as if they own the place. Who is serving who? We can’t sing but we do.
photography: LBC