Marita Liulia is an internationally renowned and exceptionally versatile artist and director.

Marita Liulia, There Is No Beauty Without Blood, 2015, acrylic and pigments on canvas.

Her exhibition Golden Age was opened at Serlachius Museums on 5th November 2016. Serlachius Museums launched its Finland 100 Years celebrations with Liulia’s theme.
 
Golden Age refers to the creative period of Marita Liulia since the exhibition presents around one hundred new works: paintings, photographs, short films and sculptures. Gold, which connects the works together, is seen in many forms and meanings.

Marita Liulia, Lampedusa – State of the Seas, 2015, pigments, lava and acrylic on canvas.

In Finnish art, the term Golden Age refers to the period prior to Finland’s independence, when artists created a Finnish identity for the country. For a dialogue with her own works, Liulia has selected master works of the Golden Age. Also on display will be Helene Schjerfbeck’s painting The Red Haired Girl II, only recently acquired by Gösta Serlachius Fine Arts Foundation.
 
Liulia defines Finland’s second Golden Age as the period from the 1970s, when a small country rose quickly to become one of the world’s most advanced and affluent nations. “But what does Golden Age mean today? Does art create a national wellbeing that is mental, physical, economic and communal? Or in an era of individualism, is Golden Age also personal?” asks the artist.
 
Liulia’s large-scale paintings, often created with her bare hands, are inspired by Finnish nature. World events, democratic crises, natural disasters, bomb strikes and the plight of refugees are also present in the works.
Part of the exhibition is a series of portraits of new and native Finns. The photographs have been taken at the artist’s black table, where the turning points and golden ages of life have been discussed. “Great insight is often preceded by disaster. People are stories, and every story is fascinating. Now the time has arrived to focus on Finnishness,” says the artist, who has travelled the world her entire adult life and has exhibited her works in 50 countries.
 
A series of short films and a large sculptural installation have emerged alongside the photographs and paintings. Marita Liulia works in a museum the same way as she does in a theatre, so the exhibition under preparation is an experiential, holistic work of art.
 
Exhibition Golden Age is open 5 November 2016 – 23 April 2017.
Serlachius Museums are open in wintertime 1 September – 31 May Tue-Sun 11 am–6 pm.
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