Galerie Anhava

“The works follow neither a logic of either/or nor an impulse toward reconciliation. Instead, they allow contradictory sensations to remain side by side, pointing to an underlying existential unease and to the fragmentary nature of perception itself – always situational, always shaped by sentiment.”

The exhibition runs until 28 February.
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Image: Anna Tuori, Off on an Adventure, 2025, acrylic and oil on canvas, 140 x 120 cm

Emma Jääskeläinen transforms classic stone sculpting materials and techniques into contemporary, contemplative, cheeky, soft, and bulky (or “Gustonian”, as she herself describes) forms, that carry strong personal stories. From monumental scale to palm-size, and from hard materials, such as granite, marble and travertine, to metal casting and wool felting, Jääskeläinen looks for impulses that arise from within the material, as it slowly reacts to her touch. The ideas and themes originate from the everyday, such as her loved ones or a chewing gum stuck to a sculpture, expanding towards art historical framework, and fundamental, corporeal experiences such as motherhood, empathy and caring.

Jääskeläinen (b. 1988) lives and works in Espoo. She graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in 2018, and in 2022 she received the nationally notable Young Artist of the Year award. Her many exhibitions include: GAA gallery, New York (2025); HAM Helsinki Art Museum (2024), Paris+par Art Basel, Paris (2023); Turku Art Museum (2023), Vleeshal, The Netherlands (2023); Tampere Art Museum (2022), PMS Gallery, Berlin (2021); and Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, Helsinki (2019). Jääskeläinen’s work is found in numerous private and key public collections, including the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, HAM Helsinki Art Museum and Tampere Art Museum. She’s been commissioned several public works.

Jääskeläinen’s first solo exhibition at Galerie Anhava will take place in 2026.