Helsinki Contemporary is proud to take part in this year's Art Antwerp. Organised by Art Brussels, the art fair is returning for its 4th edition from Thursday 12 to Sunday 15 December 2024 at Antwerp Expo.
At this year's Art Antwerp, Helsinki Contemporary presents a curated booth with works by Emma Ainala (FIN), Anton Alvarez (SWE), Jussi Goman (FIN), Michael Johansson (SWE) and Anna Retulainen (FIN).
Emma Ainala (b. 1989 in Helsinki, Finland) is known for her detailed paintings that explore feminine mythologies and physical and digital spaces. The gaze, being looked at, and objectification are recurring themes in her oeuvre. Ainala’s dreamlike paintings gain inspiration from online communities, fashion, fairy tales and girl culture as well as art history.
Emma Ainala graduated from the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts in 2013. She took part in the Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition 2018. In Finland, she’s had several solo museum shows, and her work has been widely exhibited in Europe, recently in group shows HYBRIDEN in Turnhout, Belgium and Magic Mirror in Hydra, Greece.
Image: Emma Ainala: Taken by the Wind (2024), oil on canvas, 190 x 180 cm. Photo: Jussi Tiainen.
Anton Alvarez (b. 1980 in Uppsala, Sweden) creates ceramics that defy our understandings of gravity, weight and craftsmanship. His practice focuses on designing systems and machinery that produce art objects and architecture. Alvarez allows his machines to dictate the aesthetics of his work. As an artist, he playfully pushes boundaries, creating works both unconventional and rich in tradition.
Anton Alvarez graduated from the Royal College of Art in London in 2012. His recent solo exhibitions include Honey at Millesgården in Stockholm, Sweden (2022); The Remnants, Bishopsgate 100 in London (2022) and Tight Squeeze at Huxley-Parlour in London (2021). Alvarez’s work is included in the public collections of the Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, Sweden; Denver Art Museum, Colorado, USA and the Röhsska Museum, Gothenburg, Sweden as well as many prominent private collections.
Image: Anton Alvarez: 2911240957 (2024), glazed stoneware, 54 x 30 x 29 cm. Photo: Anton Alvarez.
Jussi Goman’s (b. 1980, Pudasjärvi, Finland) colourful acrylic paintings are executed with broad brushstrokes, combining humor, movement, and lightness. Goman’s surprising visual narratives create a rich and multi-layered ensemble. His oeuvre reveals a profound interest in art history, which is evident in his ability to reinterpret and break the conventions of painting.
Goman graduated as a Master of Fine Arts from the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts in 2008. He has organized numerous solo exhibitions and participated in many group and joint exhibitions both in Finland and internationally. His works are included in several significant collections, including the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, the Saastamoinen Foundation Collection, and the HAM Helsinki Art Museum. In 2020, Goman was awarded the William Thuring Main Prize by the Finnish Art Society.
Image: Jussi Goman: Survival of the fittest (2024), acrylic on canvas, 200x150 cm. Photo: Jussi Tiainen.
Michael Johansson (b. 1975, Trollhättan, Sweden) transforms everyday objects and spaces into places for artistic intervention. His works subtly comment on our experience of place, space and our relationship to objects. When objects are morphed into precisely stacked shapes and they connect to a certain place, they are transformed into catalysts of new meanings.
Johansson lives and works in Berlin. Some of Johansson’s most important exhibitions include Museum Voorlinden (NL), Göteborg Art Museum (SE), Helsinki Contemporary (FI), Ystads Art Museum (SE) and Vigeland-museet (NO), as well as group exhibitions at Malmö Art Museum (SE), Bergen Art Museum (NO), Royal British Society of Sculptors (UK), Moscow Museum of Modern Art (RU) and Meessen de Clercq (BE).
Image: Michael Johansson: Engine Bought Separately - Hugin (Dark Blue) (2019), hair dryer, welded metal frame, spray paint, 66 x 49 x 8 cm. Photo: Michael Johansson.
Anna Retulainen’s (b. 1969, Helsinki, Finland) paintings consist of details drawn from everyday life. The subjects of her works are platforms for the application of paint; for finding balance between movement, layers of paint and colours. The themes of her works vary from interiors and views of her beloved garden to more intimate drawings of loved ones. For her, drawing and painting is a way of putting the world in its place.
Anna Retulainen is one of the leading figures in Finnish contemporary painting. She splits her time between Helsinki and Berlin. Retulainen has been exhibiting since 1995. She’s been nominated twice for the Carnegie Art Award, most recently in 2014. In 2018, Retulainen's paintings became the first contemporary artworks to be permanently presented at the Finnish Presidential Palace.
Image: Anna Retulainen: Bedroom (before noon) (2024), oil on canvas, 140 x 100 cm. Photo: Jussi Tiainen.
Additional information:
Olli Piippo, CEO, Helsinki Contemporary
+358 40 566 0636 or olli.piippo@helsinkicontemporary.com
Katja Räisänen, Sales Director, Helsinki Contemporary
+358 50 464 2911 or katja.raisanen@helsinkicontemporary.com
Press inquiries:
Jaakko Uoti, Communications Manager, Helsinki Contemporary
+358 50 554 8884 or jaakko.uoti@helsinkicontemporary.com
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