Photography: Susanne Salin - taken on my 40th birthday on the island of Stora Blindsund, Espoo; theme: the Emperor's New Clothes - I got to rule the entire island for 24 hours - imagine the chaos... ;-) |
* The * Jester *
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γνω̃θι σεαυτόν, γνω̃θι κόσμον, γνω̃θι θεόν
My patron saint Hagios Georgios The Victor (Saint George) - here a Western version, by Peter Paul Rubens
My favorite instrument:The Grand Concert Harp
I also like the Organ quite a bit... ;-)
I was born in 1964 in Joensuu, Carelia, Finland - and proud of it; my ancestors have lived and worked in the Duchy of Carelia for centuries. Carelia has been a disputed border-region between Finland and Russia for a thousand years. - And by the way, I've been told that the position of Duke of Carelia is vacant at the moment... ;-)
* I am a member of the Orthodox Knighthood of the Holy Maccabean Martyrs *
You can reach me at: tel.+358 (0)45 678 48 46
Significant sojourns abroad in chronological order - Västerås, Sweden - Columbus, Ohio, USA - Vienna, Austria - Saint Petersburg, Russia - San Rafael, California, USA - London, United Kingdom - Stockholm, Sweden - Alanya and Antalya, Turkey - Tiberias, Israel - Rome, Italy Altogether, I have lived a total of more than ten years abroad, a fact that has been highly significant for the formation of my personality and art.
One of my favorite words: SERENDIPITY -
1754 (but rare before 20c.), coined by Horace Walpole
(1717-92) in a letter to Mann (dated Jan. 28); he said he
formed it from the Persian fairy tale "The Three Princes of
Serendip," whose heroes "were always making discoveries, by
accidents and sagacity, of things they were not in quest
of." The name is from Serendip,
an old name for Ceylon (modern Sri Lanka), from Arabic
Sarandib, from Skt.
Simhaladvipa "Dwelling-Place-of-Lions
Island." Serendipitous formed
c.1950. (Online Etymological dictionary)
The celebrated but misplaced Venetian palazzo Ca' Covero from 1934 by the architect Jalmari Peltonen, Töölö, Helsinki - the finest art deco house in all Finland, if you ask me... - This is a view on a sunny day...
...and this on a cloudy day
I hold a Masters degree in international relations, 1995, Åbo Akademi, Turku, Finland, including studies of art history at the Universität Wien, 1986-89. Continued studies with the aim of a Ph.D. in political science and history with the subject The Role of the Monarchy in Contemporary Europe. I also took the simply invaluable and absolutely unique one-year course in apologetics at the CredoAkademin, Stockholm, Sweden, 1996-7.
The Helix nebula
יְהוָה נָתַן, וַיהוָה לָקָח; יְהִי שֵׁם יְהוָה, מְבֹרָךְ
Currently I am a divinity student at the Theological faculty of the University of Helsinki and the Orthodox section of the Theological faculty in Joensuu at the University of Eastern Finland - both under the discreet guidance of the monk-deacon and professor S.S. I was chosen Cultural Secretary of the association Teologian Nestorit (don't worry, the age limit is only 30...), a club you can find in Facebook too. In November 2010 I was elected into the Teologian Ylioppilaiden Tiedekuntakuntayhdistys, the oldest student representative body/fraternity in Finland, founded in 1853, with a simply embarrassing and humbling amount of votes. Part of the planning team of the an ecumenical pilgrimage of the Teologian Nestorit to Rome in May 2011 under the leadership of bishop emeritus Eero Huovinen - the pilgrimage included a visit to the heart of the Vatican's ecumenical work under His Eminence Cardinal Kurt Koch and an audience of His Holiness Pope Benedictus XVI.
The last year of my studies was a so-called atelier year during which I painted all on my own without a teacher, although I was able to request for comments on my work from anybody inside or outside the School. I chose the painter Pekka Hepoluhta, principal and artistic director of The Free Art School, as my tutor in the Spring of 2008. My teachers in the previous years 2004-7 were the illustrious painters Janne Räisänen, Tarmo Paunu, Kimi Pakarinen, Kari Aapro, Paula Holopainen, Heidi Romo, Pekka Hepoluhta, Veikko Saarivaara, Markku Keränen, Tuula Velling, Anna Retulainen, Osmo Kivimäki, Erkki Pirtola and Anna Tuori, all of whom have googleable names. During 2006-2007 I was student representative on the School's board.
I have just returned to Helsinki from Rome, where I resided in the Villa Lante, Institutum Romanum Finlandiae, see www.irfrome.org, from June to September 2011 - what a Privilege and Joy!! Villa Lante also forms part of the Finnish Embassy to the Holy See - CANDOR ILLESVS - 'Virtue is unassailable', the device of Pope Clemens VII written in the Salone of the Villa Lante, a good star for all of us to follow! In Rome, I painted a 37-piece series of oil paintings called Vedute di Roma - da dentro (Views of Rome - from the Inside) + about 50 paper works with the same theme in which I, mainly using the Dome of St.Peter's as a model and source of inspiration, studied the relationship between natural sciences - observation - and the Transcendent - inner experience of consciousness and selfhood - a hotly debated issue today. My claim is that a work of art is a physical bridge, indeed a living χιάσμα, (chiasma), between these two spheres; something everyone can see, experience or touch, but which no one, in the end, can define. The Vedute includes an artist's diary, written almost every day, just like in the olden days... - My project Vedute di Roma - da dentro was supported by Svenska kulturfonden, Helsinki, Finland
In connection with my project, I was also accorded the enormous Honour of having an exhibition called Le tette di San Pietro (The Tits of Saint Peter - The Vatican and Sexuality) in the Loggia of Villa Lante, overlooking tutta Roma. The exhibition opening was held on my 47th birthday - quite a setting for that humble occassion! The theme of the party was 4711, so it smelled quite nice in the Loggia... ;-)
The Villa Lante al Gianicolo, Rome, Italy - my room was to the right on the piano nobile The Villa was designed by Giulio Romano, a pupil of Raffaello Santi, and stood completed in 1531
Residences in the future, perhaps... : - Ein Hod, Israel - Villa Caro, Benin - Paris - New York ...and last but not least: - Finnish Lapland! Paintings by Ari Kovero can currently be found in private collections in: - Algeria - Austria - Belgium - China - Denmark - France - Germany - Greece - Italy - Morocco - The Netherlands - Norway - Russia - Saudi Arabia (photographs of the works withheld by request of the owner) - Spain - Sweden - United Kingdom - United States and - Finland, of course!
Ari Kovero is grateful for and privileged indeed to work as a guide at the following institutions:
Photography: Susanne Österlund-Pötzsch Photography: Anja Olavinen Ready for a guided tour in Ateneum, December 2007 Next to the only van Gogh in Finland
- Sinebrychoff Art Museum, The Finnish National Gallery (www.sinebrychoffintaidemuseo.fi)
The Museum contains among other treasures the only Rembrandt in Finland
- Kiasma, Museum of Contemporary Art, The Finnish National Gallery, Helsinki, www.kiasma.fi
- Valamo monastery (www.valamo.fi)
If you want to see a movable panorama picture/movie/video of the orthodox church I attend, open this link: http://www.ortodoksi.net/kuvat/panoraamat/tapiola.htm - I doubt you have ever seen anything quite like it....
Article in Heinäveden Lehti 11th July 2007
His All Holiness, BARTHOLOMEW, Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch is the 270th successor of the 2,000 year-old local Christian Church founded by St. Andrew. He is also the Supreme Head of the Finnish Orthodox Church.
I work as a travel companion at www.seniorikurssiyhdistys.com - Educational Tours for Seniors; vice-member of the Board; I'm too young to be a full member... ;-)
Next prospective trip:
- Thessaloniki and the Athos mountain, 2012
Egocentrum- där du får tala om dig själv
Egocentrum är programmet där du får höra vanliga mänskor tala
öppet om sig själva. De kanske berättar om sina livsval, om
 vad de brinner för - eller om sina små egenheter... Du kan
t.ex få höra om varför just den här mänskan ägnar all sin fritid
åt sin speciella hobby- eller hur det kom sig att just de här
två personerna valde att leva tillsammans. Eller så kanske nån
berättar om några märkliga sammanträffanden som plötsligt gjorde
att livet tog en oväntad riktning.I Egocentrum kan du också få höra andra mänskor berätta om sina favoritböcker eller om vilka filmer de tycker att alla absolut borde se - och ofta får du också höra vilken musik de gärna lyssnar på.
Lördagar kl 21.10 och söndagar kl. 11.00
Redaktör: Ann-Sophie Sandström
Egocentrum 5.5.07 Musik i programmet i den ordning som den uppfördes: veckans tips KONSTUTSTÄLLNING
Photography: Yngve 'Ykä' Nylund
Working on The Equations of a Gender B(l)ender in my atelier in the Cable Factory, Helsinki, September 2007
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The coat-of-arms of the Duchy of Carelia 
The Ca' Covero lies on the street named after count and field
marshal Johan August Sandels, 1764-1831
The old iconostasis...
...and
the new one
Lyssna på programmet!
