Gallery Week: Artist Meeting - Hanna-Riikka Heikkilä

Hanna-Riikka Heikkilä and Laura Pehkonen: PROGRESS

Galleria Saskia, Tampere 10.-29.9.2025

Form grows naturally

Hanna-Riikka Heikkilä (b. 1979) and Laura Pehkonen (b. 1985) are visual artists who dare to break the boundaries of contemporary art and design and, as artists, boldly step into the realm of form. Their first joint exhibition is on display at Galleria Saskia in Tampere. Heikkilä and Pehkonen have worked independently for the exhibition, but the works have been hung together to form an intertwining whole. The style and choice of materials help to distinguish the works and their creators from each other, yet the exhibition can be viewed as a whole world, a journey into visual reality, where form and color go hand in hand regardless of the material.

The exhibition also includes a brand new series of works that Heikkilä and Pehkonen have created together. In them, both have worked with the material closest to them. Heikkilä's work is painted, Pehkonen's is ceramics. The collaborative works serve as a key to the exhibition, they show what the creators have in common, but also emphasize the differences. Through them, you can look at the entire exhibition and observe the rhythm that sometimes highlights the differences and sometimes merges the works into an almost common installation. The best example of an installation is a hanging ensemble made on a large wall. It features smaller works by both artists, created at different times and using different materials, which are hung in a patchwork-like manner to form a cloud.

Hanna-Riikka Heikkilä works mainly with painting, but has also designed textile works. Laura Pehkonen is known for her abstract ceramic sculptures and reliefs, as well as wood sculptures. They have graduated with a Master of Arts degree from the University of Art and Design, Aalto University. Heikkilä lives and works in Tampere, Pehkonen in Helsinki. (Text: Curator Veikko Halmetoja)