Freshly Painted

The group exhibition ‘Freshly Painted’ showcases the work of young visual artists living and working in Finland who primarily use painting as their artistic medium.

The participants are Emma Ainala, Milla Aska, Siiri Haarla, Taru Happonen, Karoliina Hellberg, Kaisa Huotari, Juliana Hyrri, Annamaari Hyttinen, Eveliina Hämäläinen, Essi Kuokkanen, Raana Lehtinen, Eeva Lietonen, Emma Luukkala, Iisa Maaranen, Elin Odentia (Sweden), Melina Paakkonen, Sirkku Rosi, Kerttu Saali, Johanna Saikkonen, Riikka Sormunen, Astrid Strömberg, and Ebba Svensson (Sweden).

Marika Mäkelä, a painter and one of the artists represented in the Sara Hildén Foundation’s collection, suggested the name and concept of the ‘Freshly Painted’ exhibition. Throughout her career, she has emphasised the significant support she has received from her female colleagues. Mäkelä participated in the pioneering 'Rakastettu kuva' (Image of a Loved One) exhibition at Pyynikinlinna in Tampere in 1986. This was one of the first exhibitions in Finland to showcase exclusively female-created art. All of the participants were professional artists in their thirties who had successfully established themselves in the male-dominated art world. Now, forty years later, we take a look at contemporary painting: what is being created, and how has the profession of an artist changed?

In the 'Freshly Painted' exhibition, all invited participants are represented by their own work and a selection of pieces they have proposed. The exhibition features several newly painted works that have not been seen before and these have been arranged into hanging collections based on their thematic content.