Juha Käkelä
Ylöjärvi (1967)
Chainsaw art
Juha Käkelä is a Finnish contemporary folk artist from Ylöjärvi. Käkelä is carving with a chainsaw since 1998. The self-taught artist says that carving started by suddenly. I was going to start making a smoke sauna, but the first log turned into a goose, followed by a bear, after that the carving take a place in my life.
Juha carved two artworks “Bigfoot” and “Green Man” to the Middle of Nowhere Art park. The huge pine trunk (more than 70 cm in diameter) used in the artworks was felled next to the cafe building.
Heck yeah "Käksä"
Juha Rikhard Käkelä, nicknamed “Käksä”, carves a piece with a chainsaw from one subject to another. The self-taught artist is a three-time Finnish champion of chainsaw carving and carved as an invited guest in the world’s largest and toughest competition in Siberia. Käkelä’s skillful handprint can also be seen in two luxury cruises in the Caribbean. The bars of the last two cruises of Carnival Mardi Gras are filled with dozens of Tiki god creations and totem poles carved by Juha.
An artist playing a chainsaw
When artist walks to the sculpture site, it’s like whole forest listening what is happening. Käkelä’s gestures are calm and you can see how he concentrates on starting the carving. He draws a picture in his mind, take a deep breath and start the chainsaw.
When the artist’s chainsaw starts it’s look like the rock star playing guitar on stage. It’s incredible to watch how the shape of the wood changes piece by piece. It looks like Juha is dancing around a tree! This is kind of true, because the band Ramstein is echoing in the artist’s hearing protection.
You can carve just about anything with a regular chainsaw. Wood is a tonal material, and it does not limit the artist's creativity. In carving the delicate details and small finishes of the works, Käkelä also has other tools suitable for working with wood.
The subjects and inspiration of the sculptures
The subject of the sculptures is usually an animal figure, such as a bear. In addition to animal figures, only the sky is the limit when it comes to choosing subjects, and new inspiration can be found both at art exhibitions and on social media. Often the works are related to nature or have symbolism. The artist’s own favorite sculpture subjects are the horse and Indian figures drawn from childhood and Tex Willer cartoons.
