Exhibitions

Art Center Ahjo, Hehku-Room: Kirsi Julku

KIRSI JULKU - RANGON ARKEA 22.1.-9.2.2025

On January 22, Kirsi Julku's solo exhibition Rangon arkea (The Everyday of the Skeleton) opens in the Hehku space of Art Center Ahjo in Joensuu. Kirsi Julku (born 1993) lives and works in Tampere, using oil painting to create delicious contrasts between the living and the lifeless, as well as the rich and the stripped-down. She graduated as a visual artist from the Kankaanpää Art School in 2023, and her works have been displayed in numerous solo and group exhibitions across Finland. Julku was named the Young Artist of the Year 2024 by South Ostrobothnia.

The exhibition Rangon arkea presents oil paintings that focus on a skeleton. By removing all external elements from the human figure—such as age, gender, or social status—the skeleton acts as a mirror for the viewer, reflecting their innermost thoughts, feelings, and values. In her art, Julku addresses themes of life and the human experience, focusing on the small things in daily life and the habits people develop. In the paintings, nature, the cycle of life, and humanity search for their place amidst the phenomena of our time.

“My artistic themes come from close observations of ordinary life and the things that are important to us as humans, what makes us who we are. The skeleton naturally reminds us of our mortality, but I see the skeletons in my works as lively, above all. The inspiration for my art comes from my own memories, experiences, and the events happening around me. This is why familiar environments and landscapes from my hometown often become the settings of my works.

In my artistic process, I navigate the boundaries between life and death, joy and sorrow, and the everyday and the celebratory. The skeleton in my works symbolizes the connection between people—it is a figure that transcends cultural and temporal boundaries, highlighting what is shared and unified in all of us.”

- Kirsi Julku -