Saimi Suikkanen
MFA painter.(b.1994). Lives and works currently in Helsinki, Finland.
Artist Statement
In my art, I turn my gaze on fleeting, intimate moments in the midst of monotonous day-to-day routines. I paint subjects as seemingly nondescript as clothing piled on a chair or a tea bag sagging on the edge of the kitchen sink. How can something so apparently trivial be transformed into something so spellbinding on canvas?
I take inspiration from slow-paced films and books in which the storyline seems to move nowhere. Through my paintings, I strive to capture the lingering inertia of arrested moments that verge upon tedium. My method is partly intuitive. Sometimes, a nuanced color might inspire me to replicate exactly the same shade on canvas. Occasionally, I might stumble upon a suitable theme after an unremarkable daily occurrence – a forgettable experience such as trying on a shirt that has grown too tight is a mundane incident, but one that imparts a tragicomic narrative that lends itself consummately to a painting. I record my observations as cellphone photos and text snippets, which I jot down whenever I notice anything of interest. I then harnesses these random observations in the studio as raw material in my painting process.
Saimi Suikkanen (b.1994) graduated with a master’s degree in fine arts from Helsinki’s Academy of Fine Arts (in 2022) and a degree in painting from the Saimaa University of Applied Sciences in 2017. She has held several solo exhibitions and participated in group exhibitions in Finland and internationally. Her work has been acquired for the collection of the National Union of University Students in Finland and the Finnish Art Society’s annual art raffle.
CV
Saimi Suikkanen
b. 1994, Imatra
Studies:
2022 Master of Fine Arts, Painting department, Academy of Fine Arts of Uniarts Helsinki
2017 Visual Artist, Saimaa University of Applied Sciences
2016 Exhange studies, Painting, Ulster University, Northern Ireland
2013 Matriculation examination, Savonlinna Upper Secondary School of Visual Arts and music
Solo exhibitions
2024 Soft Light, Galerie Forsblom, Helsinki
2022 Notes on Swimming, Poriginal Galleria, Pori
2022 Let’s not think about tomorrow, Galerie Forsblom, Helsinki
2021 Farkunväristä kynsilakkaa, Project Room, Helsinki
2020 Having the time of my life, Porvoon Taidehalli, Porvoo
2020 Having the time of my life, Galerie/projektraum TOOLBOX, Berlin
2019 Not a care in the world, Galleria Uusi Kipinä, Lahti
2018 CHILLING at home, B-galleria’s project space, Turku
2018 Jotain uutta, (with Heidi Suikkanen), Galleria Krimi, Imatra
2016 Esillä, Taidebunkkeri, Imatra
Selected Group exhibitions
2024 Supermarket Art Fair, Art Centre Itä, Stockholm
2022 NÄYTTÄMÖ, Ars Häme summer exhibition, Hämeenlinna
2022 Pop-up exhibition, Studio Pasila, Helsinki
2021 Kuvan Kevät, Exhibition Laboratory, Helsinki
2019 Art of Basware, Clarion Jätkäsaari, Helsinki
2019 Portrait Now! 2019, Ljungberg museum, Ljungby
2019 Mansikkapaikka, Taidekeskus Järvilinna, Laukaa
2019 Portrait Now! 2019, Frederiksborg Castle, Hillerød
2019 LOPPU, Taidebunkkeri, Imatra
2018 UURTO, Taidekeskus Itä, Lappeenranta
2018 Koti nimeltä Krimi, Demolition house exhibition in Krimi buildings, Imatra
2017 MEETINGS, Gallery Noorus, Tartu
2017 AUDITOITU osa 1, Saimaa UAS degree show, Imatran Taidemuseo
Scholarships and grants
2024 Oskar Öflund Foundation
2022 Kone Foundation
2022 Finnish Cultural Foundation, South Karelia Regional fund
2018 Peoples’ Cultural Foundation
2018 Finnish Cultural Foundation, South Karelia Regional fund
2015 Foundation of William and Ester Otsakorpi
Memberships
Finnish Painters’ Union, candidate member
South Karelian Artists’ Association
Helsinki Artists’ Association
Public art works and collections
Voikukat mural painting, Lappeenranta
The Art Collection of National Union of University Students in Finland
Suomen Taideyhdistys, Art lottery 2021
Residencies
2025 Åland Archipelago Guest Artist Residence, Kökar
2024 South Karelian Artist’s Association Summer residency program 2024, Ruokolahti
contact for commissions / queries:
