ELVIS PRESLEY FAN ART (2005)

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Work conceived in collaboration with Finnish Elvis Presley fans for the exhibition First We Take Museums 10/09 – 20/11/2005 at Kiasma, Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki, Finland.

434 digital prints presenting Elvis look-alikes. A private collection of Elvis postage stamps. Photographs of the real Elvis taken by his tour manager Ed Bonja. Over 400 Elvis drawings made by Finnish Elvis fans, presented as a slide show on a TV monitor. A selection of 30 drawings presented on the wall. A choice of Elvis theme objects and sculptures. A live concert given by a Finnish Elvis imitator and a video shot at the opening of the exhibition.

Heike Wetzig on Elvis Presley Fan Art (2005):

It was a phenomenon as such to realize that all these Finnish fans and imitators around The King retained his legend, bringing up creativity, joy and personal commitment. In addition to the extensive, borrowed visual contributions to the exhibition, a Finnish imitator was invited to perform a live show at the opening. While “ on the museum floor above “ skateboarders and a punkglamrock band performed, this gallery room presented a somehow old-fashioned show, warmly welcomed by a majority of an elderly audience. The memory of Elvis Presleys haunting concert in Finland keeps a deep impact on the local audience. Therefore, we can understand the mood of the audience here as authentical and sentimental or, otherwise, as a refreshed emotion.