Artist profile:
Charlotta Östlund is a Swedish-born visual artist living and working in Finland.
Her works often consists of humble objects, each and every one gently and painstakingly assembled, mostly comprised of parts of plants, and sometimes including artificial components.
The works are a result of a long-lasting interest in the relations between pre-existing things and objects she has made herself, and also in the relations between ephemerality and permanence. Charlotta has always drawn parallels between them and the preconditions of our human life, our wishes and actions. That is why she collects materials, often plant parts, modifying them and sometimes combining them with components made by her. This method then serves as a platform for examining the human condition.
There is a tension in her works between frailty and durability. All components have different life spans and undergo some type of slow-changing process; this is a part of the work and its interpretation.

Residency plan:
During her stay at Youkobo Art Space, Charlotta will explore flower art and gardens and the relationship to nature and flora in various ways. She will also look into some traditional crafting techniques. In the studio, Charlotta will start experimenting with new works, including plant material as a base element; she will adapt and use her experience from the research here, and her new surroundings, striving to find new approaches to her way of working with, combining and using different materials. At the end of her stay an open studio event will be scheduled.

Date	2018.03.01 - 2018.04.30
Place	AIR1
Website	http://www.charlottaostlund.com/