The education section of Helsinki-based sculptor Miina Äkkijyrkkä’s CV is very telling, it reads: 1965-1966 Equine College Ypäjä; 1967-1968 Dairy Farming School of North-Savo; 1969-1973 The School of the Fine Arts of Finland. Meaning that for the better part of nearly 50 years Äkkijyrkkä has been working with cows, both in their care and using them as a muse in her lengthy career as an artist. Indeed, a section of her website reads “Models” and links to a gallery of nothing but cows. Her sculptures are immense. She purchases dozens of used vehicles from dealers around Finland and uses the colorful scraps to form these towering bovines that at times look coincidentally like an At At from Star Wars. Although a completely different artform, this symbiosis of cow and human reminded me of Miru Kim (nsfw) who famously photographs herself nude with pigs; the photos are really quite stunning. (via illusion, photos by juha metso)
