KITTY, KITTY, CATMAN

The coat of arms of Lappeenranta shows a half-naked bearded male figure with a club. The word “lappi” has been interpreted as meaning a remote area or the extreme point of a settlement. The name of the place was apparently given by the Swedes in the 17th century.

The painting was selected for Lappeenranta from a competition that asked for suggestions based on stories from the city's residents. Several of the stories repeated an old nursery rhyme set in Lappeenranta, roughly translated as:

Kitty, kitty curly tailed,

tomorrow we're going to Lappeenranta

What to do there?

To wash the kittens

I think it is interesting how the 17th century inhabitants of the area appeared to the visiting Swedish government representatives. Why did they end up choosing a wild man as the symbol of the place? The mace refers to defense or violence, so I also considered representing masculinity. I wanted to show a wild man resting on grass, relaxed. The button on his shirt has been unbuttoned and long trousers have been abandoned.

I combined the male figure with soft and cute kittens that the man is petting. So the wildness of the wild man is not violence, but a connection with nature and other living beings. As the work is located at the entrance to the parking garage of the city's largest shopping center, it invites a less efficient lifestyle, lazing around and relaxing.