Colors and contours of souls
pressure transfer drawing technique drawings 2013–2024
Welcome to the opening of the exhibition on Tuesday 26.11. from 17:00 to 19:00.
Since 2013, Ilari Kähönen has been continuously sketching and developing his unique pressure transfer drawing technique.
Kähönen’s work explores the relationship between the artist’s hand, color pigments, and the unseen. Each artwork is born in darkness, revealing itself unexpectedly in layered textures that reflect silent moments and historic shifts—from the stillness of the pandemic to the chaos of the Ukrainian conflict. Kähönen’s work is shaped by his decades-long dedication, drawing on the meticulous tradition of Japanese woodcut art, with each piece becoming a testament to time and vision.
Ilari Kähönen, what is pressure transfer drawing (hierspiirros) technique?
This intricate and time-intensive drawing process involves creating a primary image with a ballpoint pen, which transfers parts of the drawing through pressure to underlying color surfaces in complete darkness. Each of these hidden layers emerges as a unique artwork alongside the main drawing, surprising even the artist. This process reflects a Finnish Zen-like patience, with conceptual ties to the thousand-year-old Japanese woodcut tradition.
