Outi Martikainen: Station to Station

The work deals with life’s transitions through the metaphor of a train station, where each station represents a turning point in life – a moment before a new beginning or the end of an old one. 

The waiting people embody the universal experience of uncertainty: everybody has stood on the platform of their own “station”, wondering whether the right train is ahead, the right choice. 

The station is not just a physical place but a mental space – that familiar mixture of uncertainty and expectation when life is changing but the direction is not yet clear. 

The emotional core of the work is condensed in the woman in the hat and the child in the foreground. The connection between them evokes a personal memory: the grandmother’s firm grip on her hand while walking through the city, that feeling of absolute safety. This handshake represents intergenerational trust and protection – the certainty that an adult can give a child in the midst of chaos and change. 

The work reflects on how many times in life the same situation repeats itself: you stand on a platform, suitcase in hand, looking towards the tracks. Sometimes you are the child who needs a safe hand. Sometimes you are the adult who offers certainty in the midst of uncertainty. And sometimes you stand alone, facing your own choice, hoping that intuition will lead you in the right direction.

MUU Window

1.4.-31.5.2026

24/7
Free of charge