As a viewer, the observer meets this relationship head on, confronted with the intimacy of seeing the figurine’s identity laid bare. Where they’re made, what era, who owned them, who they’re designed for; amalgamating into a unique sociocultural expression of kitsch. For Rankanen, the more memorable, the better. In some paintings like “A Lady enjoying the July Sun” or “The Creation of Piggy,” he incorporates stickers into the composition as another contrast to the depth perception of the 3D figurines. “I was having fun with this idea of how many layers there are on a painting. I don’t work with a complete sketch of any painting. I just put stuff on each other and play with the combination of airbrush and brush painting.”
On the whole, the figurine paintings are emblematic representations of what Rankanen calls “accidental culture”. His backgrounds, for instance, are reminiscent of the Windows 95 desktop, a core memory ingrained in the collective consciousness of 90s kids. “It’s a super iconic image that’s as famous as the Mona Lisa in a way”, he says, “it’s just accidental culture.” He notes how much of global culture today rests on nostalgia. For instance, the majority of blockbuster films are now remakes. “We live in a world where we look back and respond.”