Galerie Anhava

Two new public works, Phoenix and Welcome, by Vesa-Pekka Rannikko have been unveiled at the Koivutori square in Vantaa.

Works by Kari Cavén, Jorma Hautala, Heli Hiltunen, Jani Hänninen, Pertti Kekarainen, Anne Koskinen and Jorma Puranen are on view as part of a commemorative exhibition Vexi Salmi and Friends at Hämeenlinna Art Museum, running from 25 November 2022 until 22 October 2023.

One Tree Four Seasons: Season III, the third part of a collaborative work between artist Antti Laitinen and architect-artist Ulf Mejergren, has been completed.

Karoliina Hellberg’s new large-scale painting Ne m’oublie pas has been placed in the newly opened Café Savoy in Helsinki. The painting is a lush combination of elements characteristic to Hellberg’s works, such as fountains, forget-me-nots, onions and oysters. Like at the original Restaurant Savoy, which just turned 85 this year, design and art are in an important role at Café Savoy. The late Maire Gullichsen, the founder of Restaurant Savoy, Helena Puolakka, the current Chef Patron, and Hellberg all share a love for southern French lifestyle and cuisine.

Photo: Anton Sucksdorff

Matti Kujasalo’s solo exhibition Paintings opened last weekend at Galerie Friese in Berlin. The focus of the exhibition is on the paintings he has created in recent years and on his current paintings, in which colour plays an increasingly central role. Kujasalo created the foundations of his reduced vocabulary as early as the mid-1970s, from which he continues to draw new pictorial inventions to this day: line, dot, circle and square.

Works by Noora Schroderus and Santeri Tuori are on view in the group exhibition Morning Coffee on the Roof of a Town at the Serlachius museum Gösta in Mänttä. The exhibition is a vantage point over discussion topics on the Gösta Serlachius Fine Arts Foundation’s contemporary art collection. Around sixty works are featured in the exhibition, and gathered under eight different themes: borders, heroes, roots, hometown, present, unprotected, roles and nature.

Heini Aho and Antti Laitinen take part in the group exhibition Navigating North – Works from the Wihuri Foundation Collection at the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma in Helsinki. The exhibition showcases Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation’s contemporary art collection, with a focus on works by artists from or working in Northern Finland. The exhibition features works by 48 artists, and runs until 2 April 2023.

Anne Koskinen and Noora Schroderus take part in the group exhibition Überhund – Art’s Fascinating Dogs at Salo Art Museum, from 24 September to 8 January 2023. The exhibition tells about the unique relationship between humans and dogs by presenting the various roles of the dog in the visual arts. Traditionally, dogs in art have been associated with, for example, security, loyalty, companionship, or cuteness. In addition, Überhund raises questions about the dog’s political and ethical aspects. Displayed are over 100 works from around 50 artists. The exhibition is curated by Susanna Luojus. 

Image: Noora Schroderus, Elephant, 2016, pigment print, photosec

Heini Aho takes part in a group exhibition Nature Morte – Still Alive. Contemporary Still Life in Finnish Arts at Stadtgalerie Kiel in Germany, from 18 September until 27 November. The group exhibition explores the intentions and techniques with which Finnish artists deal with the genre of still life today. The traditional motifs of still life are inanimate objects, mostly taken from everyday life, especially food and objects from flora and fauna. Often the depictions also had a coded, moral message: memento mori – remember that you will die. In contemporary context, due to new medias and topics of our complex time, the genre of still life remains an interesting and fascinating field. The exhibition is curated by Ritva Röminger-Czako.

A solo exhbition by artist duo Grönlund–Nisunen is on view at La Bibi gallery, in Palma, Mallorca, from 16 to 24 September 2022 as part of Nit de l’Art event.

One Tree Four Seasons: Season II, the second part of a collaborative work between artist Antti Laitinen and architect/artist Ulf Mejergren, is now finished.

Vahdit, a new public artwork by Vesa-Pekka Rannikko has been unveiled in Seinäjoki, Finland. The work consists of three owl sculptures attached to street light poles at the Björkenheim bridge. Like the nocturnal animal, the work comes to life in the dark: the eyes of the owls act as lamps, casting beams of light on the street surface and water. Rannikko describes the guarding owls as bringers of light, protecting those crossing the bridge. Design language of the sculptures comes from real and imaginary: they are a kind of hybrids, referring to stories, technology, and biology.

Jacob Dahlgren’s playful, colourful and immersive works are on view in several exhibitions this upcoming autumn and winter. At Museum Ritter, is Waldenbuch, the visitors can envelop and conceal themselves inside Dahlgren’s ribbon cube, The Wonderful World of Abstraction. In Istanbul, the group exhibition ThisPlay revolves around the concepts of childhood and play, aiming to explore its liberating aspects. Also in Paris, the Venez jouer avec l’art art fair encourages the viewer to see, touch and get carried away by contemporary art. 

The renovated Kallio General Upper Secondary School houses a series of four new paintings by Karoliina Hellberg, an alumnus of the school. The series of paintings is titled Lilacs, Anemones and Wind, and it is divided into two pairs located in the stairway of the building. The pairs of paintings are placed opposite each other, like a reflection, and they show the same situation as if from two different perspectives. On the second landing, the pair shows the spatial imagery and highly detailed interiors that Hellberg’s works are known for. The impression of abundance is created by the railings, pillars, decorative furniture and ornamented rugs, along with plants and flowers. On the third landing, the pair leads the viewer into a recurring theme in Hellberg’s paintings: nocturnal gardens and vegetation.

Tommi Grönlund’s and Petteri Nisunen’s work Unstable Matter (2013) is a part of Onoma’s summer exhibition Hidden – forms of the senses, in Fiskars, Finland. The Exhibition, curated by Laura Sarvilinna, is a part of Fiskars Village Art & Design Biennale, and is open daily until 4 September 2022.

Vesa-Pekka Rannikko’s new public sculpture series Kirjoverkkoperhonen (Scarce Fritillary) was unveiled during the summer in Tuusula, Finland. The body of work consists of forty butterfly sculptures, which are placed on trees, lamp posts and other structures along the light traffic route. The sculptures are made of steel and each one is painted individually.

Works by Anne Koskinen and Noora Schroderus are featured at the new Serlachius Art Sauna in Mänttä. Standing on the shore of Serlachius Museum Gösta, the architecturally unique sauna building is characterised by the dialogue of art, design, landscape, and architecture. Several of Koskinen’s Findling sculptures are peeking from among the cobblestones at the outside patio, and Schroderus’s Intim Interiör plaster works lead to the unisex restrooms. Other participating artists are for example Jussi Goman, Laura Könönen and Anni Rapinoja.

Image: Anne Koskinen, Findlings, 2014-2017, granite, migmatite. Courtesy of Serlachius Museums, Sampo Linkoneva

Between 25 June and 6 August, Mari Sunna will take part in the Universes 5 show at The Hole gallery, New York. This is the 5th iteration of the international group exhibition, this time conceptualized and curated by Saša Bogojev, and previously held in Imola, Amsterdam, Hong Kong and Paris. The Universes 5 brings together a selection of 26 artists that work with painting, sculpture, and installation, focusing on the artists that strongly rely on creating their own spectrums of characters, settings, and/or events. With her work “Twin“ (2020), Mari Sunna pushes the viewer into a fantastical, imaginary sphere and challenges the minds of the viewers with her own perspective and reinvention of reality.

Image: Mari Sunna, Twin, 2020, oil on canvas, 75 x 65 cm

The artist duo Grönlund–Nisunen was invited by SARC Architects to plan a facade for the new Hotel AX in Jätkäsaari, Helsinki. The facade relief goes by name Split Views and it consists of 480 pieces of polished and perforated steel plates. The appearance of the sheer relief, which reflects its surroundings, varies according to weather conditions and the time of day and season. In gloomy weather, its surface is enlivened by the movement of reflected clouds. On a clear day, it reflects the sky and, in the evening, the redness of the setting sun. During the dark hours of the day, the vertical look of the façade relief is accentuated by narrow-beam LED lights. In the evenings, the lighting changes subtly and becomes dimmer and more static during the night.

Jussi Niva, Vesa-Pekka Rannikko and Päivi Takala participate in XXVI Mänttä Art Festival, one of Finland’s leading summer exhibitions of contemporary art. This year’s curator Markus Kåhre has invited 25 artists or artist groups for the exhibition. Along side visual artists, there are musicians, composers, poets, playwrights and performance artists. The result is a multifaceted exhibition in which video, animation, soundscapes and multiple kinds of spaces reside. Most of the artworks are new, planned and created for this year’s festival and its venues. Outside the main Pekilo exhibition hall, there are additional artworks in the Mänttä Church (including one part of Rannikko’s “Palokärki uneksii” work), and on the Taavetinsaari island. In Pekilo, make sure to look up, as some of the works, including Niva’s 3-dimensional painting and Rannikko’s video work are installed high up on the walls and ceilings of the exhibition space.

Antti Laitinen’s extensive solo exhibition Flexible landscapes at WAM Turku City Art Museum runs until 19 September 2022. In addition to Laitinen’s most recent works, such as the Broken Landscape photo series, displayed are also some of the artists earlier works, for example, It’s My Island (2007), in which the artist builds his own island in the sea, and Forest Square, which was seen at the Venice Biennale in 2013.

Pe Lang, with Marianthi Papalexadri-Alexandri, have received the 2021 Aurelie Nemours Prize. The prize is awarded annually by the Aurelie Nemours Foundation, under the auspices of the Institut de France, to an artist, whose work “pursues a rigorous plastic quest with a unique spirituality”.

Works by Antti Laitinen and Noora Schroderus are on view in the group exhibition Monstrous Wonders – Finnish contemporary art, at Borås Art Museum in Sweden. The exhibition is dedicated to Finland as an art nation and takes a close look at its contemporary art scene, featuring seven prominent Finnish artists. Other participating names are Anna Estarriola, Ida Koitila, Antti-Ville Reinikainen, Heli Ryhänen and Emma Rönnholm. Current themes such as existential issues, behaviour patterns, world views, mysticism, the environment and power can be traced throughout the exhibition, where the bizarre and the poetic meet the humorous and challenging. The exhibition runs until 11 September 2022.

Image: Antti Laitinen, Broken Landscape VI, 2019, pigment print, diasec, 130x180cm

Essi Kuokkanen takes part in ARS22 – Living Encounters at Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art in Helsinki, running through 16 October 2022. Displayed are several new paintings by Kuokkanen, bursting with colour, and speaking of themes such as empathy and the relationship between man and nature. The group show is the tenth instalment in the series of major international contemporary art exhibitions, originally launched in 1961. The exhibition features works by over 50 artists from 20 countries, and is the first to be shown at the newly renovated museum building.

Image: Essi Kuokkanen, Kepinkeräilijät, 2021, oil on canvas, 200 x 140 cm. Photo: Eetu Huhtala

Artist duo Grönlund–Nisunen takes part in the group exhibition On Trickling Away. Concepts of Time in Contemporary Art, on view until 28 August at Kunstmuseum Reutlingen in Germany. Among the works by 13 international artists are Grönlund–Nisunen’s “Falling Water” (2020), “Movement” (2013) and “Time Zones” (2013).

Noora Schroderus’s solo exhibition Power Relations runs through 28 May at Taidetila Raami in Nokia, Finland. Schroderus works with a variety of materials and techniques, creating subtle, playful and ironic pieces that challenge the structures of hierarchy and power. On view are, among others, works from her Canis Lupus Familiaris and Elephant series, that both focus on a human’s relationship with dogs. The embroidered dog hair portraits demonstrate how a relationship with a dog can sometimes be longer and more meaningful than many interpersonal relationships. The photographs make visible the less frequently admitted fact that pets themselves cannot decide with whom they live and what demands are placed on them; their lot is to adapt to the customs and lifestyle of their owner.

Image: Noora Schroderus, Elephant, 2016, pigment print, fotosec

Jani Ruscica’s extensive solo show No Dot on the I has opened at Kunsthalle Helsinki and runs through 5 June 2022. In Ruscica’s art the relationship between signs, objects and concepts is an unstable one. Their works evade straightforward interpretation and binary categories, and thrive in a space where they can enjoy freedom of movement. The exhibition is curated by Piia Oksanen.

Heini Aho is on view at the Harris Art Gallery, in La Verne, Los Angeles, as part of group exhibition About Place. The exhibition, featuring sculpture, photography, video and installation by nine international artists, explores the ideas of place as geography, architecture, the environment, migration, and home. The aim of the exhibition is to serve not merely as a reflection or simulacra of a place, but an attempt to see how artists create objects and/or experiences that become their own destinations while simultaneously exploring complex ideas and issues.

Salla Tykkä’s latest video work Europe – Europa (2020) is on view at Södertälje Konsthall in Sweden until 7 May.

Anne-Karin Furunes’ new commissioned work for the University of Helsinki, featuring the earliest Finnish women academics, was revealed on 28 March 2022. The subjects of her three artworks for the university’s main building are Tekla Hultin, Emma Irene Åström and Karolina Eskelin.

A K Dolven, Elina Merenmies and Marko Vuokola take part in an extensive international group show The Subterranean, at Amos Rex, in Helsinki, Finland. The exhibition features 101 works by 62 artists, including names such as Louise Bourgeois, Gustave Doré, Magnus Enckell, Pipilotti Rist and Auguste Rodin. The oldest work in the show is from 17th century, while the newest ones were completed just for this exhibition.

At Sergels Torg in Stockholm, Sweden, Jacob Dahlgren’s collective art project, The Flag Project, brings together school children from different parts of the Stockholm area in the spirit of creative joy and contemporary art. At the temporary studio the students create art together with the artist. Dahlgren wants to show that regardless of background and prior knowledge, everyone has the ability to create art, and that creative thinking can unite people in interaction and dialogue. The workshop runs until 21 April, and the results will be presented in an exhibition 21 April–31 May.

Image: Jacob Dahlgren, The Flag Project, 2020, Kunsthalle Göppingen

Karoliina Hellberg’s lyrical skyscape illustrates the cover of Anna Järvinen’s and Tapio Viitasaari’s newly released EP, Dagen var mulen. The mini album includes six songs, composed by Kaj Chydenius, performed by Järvinen and Viitasaari, and accompanied by Laura Ahopelto and Juha Kanervo.

Heini Aho and Jorma Puranen are participating in the joint exhibition Spaces of Uncertainty, a diverse showcase of spatial art taking place at Kunsthalle Helsinki between 12 March –24 April 2022. Other participating artists are Thomas Nyqvist, Lauri Astala, Marja Kanervo and Shoji Kato. The exhibition also presents works from Signe Brander (1869–1942) and Elias Martin (1739–1818).

Antti Laitinen’s solo show Field Studies is on view at GSA Gallery in Stockholm, Sweden, until 2 Apr 2022. This is Laitinen’s second solo exhibition in Stockholm. The presentation includes photographs, sculpture and video. In his works Laitinen draws inspiration from his natural surroundings, building dialogues with it through his oeuvre. The photographs might appear as having been manipulated digitally, but everything is masterfully created by hand: by cutting, chopping, adding and reorganizing natural elements.

Works by artist duo Grönlund–Nisunen are on display at Art and Museum Centre Sinkka, in Kerava, Finland, as part of the group exhibition Working Together – Taidetta Kaksin. The exhibition presents eight duos or couples who have been working together for a long time and claimed their place on the contemporary art field.

Mari Sunna participates in a group exhibition Touch Me: Nudes from the Miettinen Collection at Kunstraum Potsdman, in Germany. The exhibition, featuring works from artists such as David Hockney, Barthélémy Toguo and Tom of Finland, among many others, runs through 23 March 2022.

Lumpeet (Water Lilies), a two-part artwork by Santeri Tuori has been completed at the Turku Student Village Foundation’s (TYS) newest housing project, Tyyssija. The work is a layered photograph printed on glass plates, depicting water lilies and aquatic plants. The video-controlled LED light grid that lights up in the evenings brings new layers to the work – The surface of the water, the underwater world and the reflections of the sky are all present.

Anne-Karin Furunes’ solo show Reassembling Reality is on view at Gallery K in Oslo, Norway, until 13 February 2022.

A new public artwork by Heini Aho has been completed at TYKS T3 Hospital in Turku, Finland. The artwork, titled Treehouse, is an aerial three-dimensional sculpture in which the doors and windows function as projection surfaces for videos. Aho’s previous work Ancient Battlefields is placed in the hospital’s elevators.

Welcome to join our online Gallery Talks event on Wednesday 26 January at 1 pm, with Pe Lang and Marianthi Papalexadri-Alexandri. With Gallery Manager Hanna Huitu the artists will discuss their artistic practises and collaborative exhibition, on view until Sunday 30 January.