Juhana Moisander's new, site-specific work Lost Boys features a thoughtful little boy in the leading role. The work examines the reality of a small child, and the focused moment of play in which only the here and now matter. 

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Inspired by the Classic Fairy Tale

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The title of the work points to the Lost Boys in the tale of Peter Pan. Like Peter, the Lost Boys lived in Neverland without ever growing up to be adults. Although Peter Pan is a magical adventure story for children, the fate of the motherless and fatherless boys is also wistful and somber. In the same way, something oppressive can be sensed in the mood of Moisander’s Lost Boys. The work doesn't portray the carefree nature of childhood unambiguously: the boy seems serious, withdrawn, absent-minded. The tension of the work's atmosphere is increased by an adult, present in the space as an eerie portrait. The relationship between the man and the child is left to the viewer's interpretation.

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The work has been inspired not only by the children's story but also by Moisander's fatherhood and the examination of a child's growth and play from the father's perspective. The themes of childhood and play also link the work to the dolls’ houses exhibited on the first floor of the museum.

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Images of Nostalgia and Fantasy

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Juhana Moisander is known for his spatial works, intense in their atmosphere. The works combine video projection, sound and objects. He often makes use of history and archival materials that meet in the works as images in which nostalgia and fantasy meet. Moisander modifies space with his video projections, and creates eerie encounters with immaterial, but lifelike characters.