British artist Thomas Houseago (centre) posing with actor Brad Pitt (right) and Australian rock musician Nick Cave prior to the opening of the exhibition 'Thomas Houseago - WE With Nick Cave And Brad Bitt' at The Sara Hilden Art Museum in Tampere, Finland. Photo: AFP
In the actor's first-ever public art exhibition, Brad Pitt has unveiled his sculptures in a lakeside art museum in Finland, the gallery said recently.
Located in Finland's third largest city of Tampere, this is the first time the "largely self-taught" American star presented his sculptures to the public, Sara Hilden Art Museum said.
Pitt's sculptures were revealed by the actor himself last Saturday as part of a larger exhibition by British artist Thomas Houseago, alongside a ceramic series by Australian alternative rocker Nick Cave.
"For Nick and I this is a new world and our first entry. It just feels right," Pitt told Finnish broadcaster Yle at the opening ceremony.
For the exhibition, artist Thomas Houseago displays new paintings and sculptures alongside a ceramic series by Nick Cave and sculptures by Brad Pitt, according to the museum. For Cave and Pitt it is the first time ever that they are exhibiting their works of art, which were created during the course of an ongoing dialogue with Houseago. Photo: AFP
Pitt's work includes a moulded plaster panel "depicting a gunfight" and a series of house-shaped silicone sculptures that each have been shot with a different gauge of ammunition.
"To me it's about self-reflection. It's about where I have gotten it wrong in my relationships, where have I misstepped," Pitt said at the opening.
The 58-year-old actor's unexpected visit took the Nordic country by surprise as his involvement in the exhibition was not previously announced.
"In that sense this is exciting and wonderful," said chief curator Sarianne Soikkonen.
As well as hosting Pitt's sculptures for the first time, the art show is Houseago's exhibition debut in the Nordic countries.
The decision to include his friends Cave and Pitt in his exhibition was shaped by the pandemic and "events in Houseago's personal life", Soikkonen said. - AFP
