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Mr. Confectioner

CONTEMPORARY SANTA CLAUS ARTIST ASSOCIATION (Eemil Karila & Kalle Lampela)
Rovaniemi – Berlin

Contemporary Santa Claus Artist Association claims it exists a strong familiarity between the Santa Claus culture and the ideology and confectioner-style architecture of the Stalinist era. This link is portrayed in the concrete sculpture Mr. Confectioner which combines socialist realism with consumerist neo-liberalism. The choice of material in the sculpture reflects the Lapland war (1944-45) and the remains of the concrete dugouts. In Lapland’s history there is darkness and taboos that are disguised. The most visible and superficial disguise, according to the C.S.C.A.A., is the tourist product Santa Claus.

The artwork was created in 2007 and donated to the University of Lapland. The statue is one of the public artworks of Rovaniemi city, but so far it has not been included in guided tours.
Photographs: Kalle Lampela and Arto Liiti.

Mr. Confectioner Mr. Confectioner
Mr. Confectioner Mr. Confectioner
Mr. Confectioner Mr. Confectioner
Mr. Confectioner Mr. Confectioner
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Murmansk Murmansk
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