Figuratively Speaking. Contemporary Naive Art from Finland, is an introduction to new wave of popular art in Finland. The reader will meet ten artists, who have renewed, revived and reformed the concept of Naive art. Naivism is the lingua franca for all sorts of people. It does not require a guide or an interpreter to be understood. The artist always hides some jewels in the artwork. A painting or a sculpture is a mirror and a door. It reflects the time and more importantly, the viewer's world. The artist may have a message or he may have been on a philosophical quest, but the artwork - when it is finished and hangs on a gallery wall - lives an independent life. Whatever the intentions of the artist were, the artworks comes to life only when someone looks at it.
Figuratively Speaking. Contemporary Naive Art from Finland esittelee kymmenen naivistitaiteilijaa ja suositun taidesuuntauksen uusia tuulia Suomessa. Naivismi on muutakin kuin humoristinen kuvaus maalaisidyllistä. Kirjan taiteilijat ovat laajentaneet perinteisen naivismin ideaa niin pop-taiteen, surrealismin kuin sci-finkin suuntaan. Suomalainen naivismi on kansainvälisesti kiinnostavaa, korkeatasoista taidetta, jota myös keräilijät ja taideinstituutio arvostavat.