Martti Hömppi, Veistospiha / Sculpture garden

picture by Veli Grano

Above trio of musicians in Finnish is named Trio Pönttöpäät, what means something like Trio of Empty Heads, and as far I understand this sculpture implies a critique on some Finnish politicians.

Life and works

Martti Hömppi (1935-2013) was born in a rural area in Finland and the memory of his youthful experience of the countryside has been an important aspect of his work.

He had various jobs during his active working life, including being a wrestler. After he got retired he began creating sculptures, using a variety of wooden planks and recycling leftover materials.

Other creations have been made by manipulating large wooden tree-stomps with a big chain-saw.

In this way Hömppi created sculptures of all kind of animals and personalities, a number of these with an implicit, sometimes explicit social critique, in general with a humorist approach. His way of working has given him some fame in Finland and earned him the nickname woodshed Picasso.

Hömppi (2003), as in Finnish TV-film

ITE: Itse thetyä elämää

Martti Hömppi passed away February 15, 2013. 

His artistic legacy has been donated to the Union for Rural Culture and the works are safely stored in the ITE museum in Kokkola.

Documentation
* Article on ITE-taide website

first published September 2009, last revised September 2023

Martti Hömppi
Veistospiha/Sculpture garden
37200 Siuro, Pirkanmaa, Western and Central Finland
the works have been transferred from the garden
around his house to the ITE-collection in Kokkola