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KARI CAVÉN

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Kari Cavén

(Born 1954, works in Helsinki)

Cow Chapel, 1993

Eight automatic cow feeders

Height 204 cm

Thanks to Wanås Gods AB

Cow Chapel by Kari Cavén is one of many artworks in the collection that gain inspiration from the farming. The starting point for Cow Chapel was a few automatic feeders for cows that had previously been used on the farm. Eight of them were selected and then washed, welded, polished, painted, and placed in an octagonal shape in the park. In his art, Cavén allows the material itself to speak. He starts with old items, found objects, and cheap everyday things, placing them in new contexts and unexpected combinations. With curiosity, humor, and playfulness, the interplay shifts focus away from the items’ original functions and instead highlights their form, color, material, and history. This way of working draws its inspiration from Arte Povera—an art movement originating in Italy, characterized by a focus on unconventional processes and everyday materials, instead of traditional forms of painting and sculpture.