Essi Kausalainen, Olli Keränen, Mikko Kuorinki, Maija Luutonen: SUGAR DOORS

In autumn 2025, the Halli exhibition space will feature a joint presentation by four Finnish contemporary artists: Essi Kausalainen, Olli Keränen, Mikko Kuorinki and Maija Luutonen. The exhibition represents a continuation of their shared history of discussions and collective studio work. Collective evaluation of processes and the elements of the artworks has furthered a fusion of the group’s artistic thinking and the components of their works.

In the exhibition, paintings, sculptures, installations, and performances all engage in spatial interaction with each other. The materials and forms of the works often point beyond the art object to elements familiar from the home or urban environments. The group’s practice echoes the strong tradition of conceptual thinking in contemporary art, drawing attention to the constructed nature of art and the complexity of processes relating to meaning.   

Andreas Nilsson, curator based in Malmö Sweden is involved in the process as a conversational curator.

The works of Essi Kausalainen (1979) take the form of performances, textiles, text, audio and video. By collaborating with performers of different ages, materials and spaces, Kausalainen creates situations in which the boundaries between art forms are blurred. The works take as their starting point the complex and dense interactions between beings that fix us in the world. Essi Kausalainen’s work has been shown in exhibitions and performances at Kiasma, HAM, Tenthaus gallery (Oslo), MCA (Chicago) and Somerset House Studios (London).

Olli Keränen uses sculpture and moving image as his principal mediums, creating spatial entities. Among other things, he investigates the necessity of manual skills within sophisticated production processes, often working with materials that are inherently volatile. Drawing on archetypal forms, his works engage in a dialogue with each other that relegates their original reference points into secondary position. He has held solo exhibitions in Helsinki and Copenhagen, most recently at the SIC Gallery in Helsinki in 2021. Keränen’s work has also been included in group exhibitions at HAM, Malmö Art Hall, Karst (Plymouth), Spike Island (Bristol), and Marselleria (New York).

Mikko Kuorinki was born in Rovaniemi in 1977. He began his artistic career at the age of 15 by publishing zines and music. Currently based in Espoo, Kuorinki works mainly in the context of visual arts by creating installations, exhibitions and publications consisting of objects and texts. The materials can be objects, rooms, texts, song fragments, or even rubbish. Kuorinki’s art is defined by a kind of documentary approach: he seizes whatever is at hand, because those seemingly insignificant everyday things open up to him as a mystery. Alongside his own artistic production, Kuorinki is involved in artist collectives such as Hello Dust and Happy Magic Society.

Maija Luutonen (1978) works mainly by painting on paper. Her works are spatial entities that, in addition to paintings, also comprise sculptural elements and objects. Luutonen’s paintings push their boundaries by switching between two- and three-dimensionality. Although her approach to painting is conceptual, it explores seemingly uncontrollable aspects of the mind and relies on hazy knowledge. Her past solo exhibitions include Res at Sinne, Helsinki (2021) Patch at Kunsthaus Pasquart, Biel/Bienne, Switzerland (2019), Patch at Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, Helsinki (2018), Draft and Float at kim? Contemporary Art Centre, Riga (2017), and Soon at SIC (2016). Luutonen’s has participated in group exhibitions that include (In)Visible Dreams and Streams at CAC, Vilnius (2016), Society Acts at kim? Contemporary Art Centre, Riga (2015) and at Moderna Museet in Malmö (2014), as well as 24 Spaces – A Cacophony at Malmö Konsthall (2013).

The exhibition is supported by Finnish Heritage Agency.