Duh nuh huh
BOKEH#023
ISBN 978-952-7501-09-2
2023
Drawings and text Pentti Otto Koskinen
Graphic design Antti Nylén
Thread-sewn booklet, 76 pages
Papers Nautilus Classic 70 g/m2, Amber Graphic 90 g/m2, recycled cardboard 220 g/m2
Inside pages printed by Luova.fi
Binding and cover printed by Bokeh
218 x 310 mm
Edition of 130 copies
Finnish visual artist Pentti Otto Koskinen (b. 1953), best known for his performance work, has been drawing for decades, an ongoing practice to this day. Duh nuh huh is a selection of his drawings made between 1993 and 2003. Some of the images reproduced on the pages lack any textual counterpart, others have short captions. These titles or accompanying texts are an integral part of Koskinen's artistic work. Persistent repetition, mantra-like word symbols and certain seemingly invariable figures of speech form a mystical "grammar" that is completely on its own, a spiritual world set apart.
Koskinen draws using a piece of paper, a pencil and an eraser, and is never fully conscious nor unaware about his aim. It is not until the work is finished that it reveals its meaning, or subject, and these may also change over time. The same drawings often get different new titles years after they were originally finished. Duh nuh huh, as well, contains some old drawings that are now recontextualized verbally. Koskinen's drawing resembles prayer: it is not clear or even relevant what actually is being "asked for", or aimed at. The only important thing is the action itself, a persistent endeavour, the "Perseveration", to use one os Koskinen's own words. The relatively small-scale drawings have been reproduced on the book roughly in their original dimensions. They are like intermittent reports on a work that has no specific objective.
