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Risto Immonen
Ulosmarssi / Walkout

The massive steel plate of Walkout forms a frame for the artwork, where two-dimension-
ality changes into tri-dimensionality as the reindeer turns and walks out of the sculpture.
This way, the same artwork shows both the positive and the negative of the reindeer. The
figures form a sculpture entity, which lives when viewed from different angles.

The material of the Walkout artwork is a massive steel plate that weighs approximately
600 kilos. Its dimensions are 200x250x1.5 cm. A reindeer image has been removed from
the plate by flame cutting, turned in its place 45 degrees and then welded into place. The
cutting traces and sharp edges have been ground and rounded. There is no surface treat-
ment, the steel can rust and form a rust-brown surface colour. The flame cutting work
and a part of the welding work was realised at the Marttiini Metal Technics Oy company,
the artwork’s sponsor.

Lapland sculptor and artistic blacksmith Risto Immonen was born in 1948. He has obtained
an upper degree in forged steelwork; he is also a self-taught artist. Immonen has actively
participated in exhibitions in Finland and abroad since 1986. Immonen has brought Finn-
ish artistic forging to international awareness at several international events and exhibitions.
His artworks can be found in many public collections in Finland and abroad, among others, in
France, Sweden, Latvia, Hungary and Austria. Immonen’s art combines in a fascinating manner
the traditional smithery and personal, simplified form language. Iron bends to many forms in
Immonen’s hands; the heavy and rigid material of the artworks and their light form language
create an intriguing tension. Immonen utilises the phenomena of the human world and issues in
everyday life. The artist wants to tell stories that make the viewer think and discover their own
story from the artwork.