Ilona Sampovaara´s (b. 1972) strange subhuman paintings of dogs, cats and dewy-eyed creatures can be seen now also in Tampere. The exhibition is in Keskus Gallery. Only two works are oil paintings. The rest 49 are Giclee prints or as a matter of fact laser prints on a material looking like a cloth. A digital file has been taken of the oil painting, and it has then laser printed in a desired size on a desired material. The advantage of a Giclee print compared to other four-colour printing (e.g. serigraphy) is clear: you can print these Giclee pictures even one at a time and you don´t have to print the whole series at once. The amount of Sampovaaras´s Giclee prints is normally reported about 200 pieces per picture. It is relatively easy an cheap to print/pull/copy Giclee prints, but the prices are relatively high (Sampovaara´s prints over 300 euros). The eye learns to see the differences of Giclee print compared with the original. The picture is fuzzier, the colours are foggier, and the canvas-like material starts to look artificial. To anyone who does not know these modern printing methods, even these digital prints may look like "genuine".
In December in Tampere nice Pop Up Art shop is open in Aleksis Kivi Street selling genuine and original art works. Two floors are full of high-quality but cheap graphics and other art. The artists themselves manage the shop in turns.
