SHELTER

Kristian Krokfors (b. 1952) studied painting at the University of the Arts Helsinki in 1973–74. In 1974 he moved to England to study at Leicester Polytechnic, where he received his bachelor’s degree in 1977. In 1985, Krokfors was awarded Finland’s first Young Artist of the Year Prize.

Shelter and protection are one of Krokfors’ recurring motifs, which he has returned to again and again since 1983. He has used the tent as a motif in various forms. The tent’s obvious function is to provide protection from the elements, but it also carries cultural layers of meaning. For example, the circus tent contains a parallel reality in which everyday rules no longer apply.