Kesässä (Within Summer)
Welcome to the opening ceremonies on Tuesday, August 4th, 2026, from 5–7 p.m!
Lately, I have been reflecting on how little can remain on a canvas for it still to be my work.
The works in this exhibition have emerged through the encounter of opposing forces.
The silence of the forest, loud music.
The simple presence of trees and other species, the complexity of the human world.
The forest leads me into a creative state, into connection; within it, one becomes whole. The counterforce, in turn, prompts action.
At first, there is only the forest, and the experience of being part of it.
Then comes the exertion of force, the act: the decision to strike the canvas, which is now a work in this exhibition.
Trees and animals have no need for my paintings, yet I chose to need them. For me, painting is essential.
Suddenly, airiness gathers into density
lush minimalism bursts forth in a controlled surge
this summer day in January in the heath forest
we find ourselves at the center of everything, surrounded by everything
after the splashing, the walls remain clean
The use of colour and movement is central to the existence of these paintings. And directness: because the canvas has not been primed with opaque ground, every trace of my process remains visible in the finished work.
This text is based on interviews with Johanna Sipilä conducted by Marjo Niemi and Eeva Turunen, who also authored the exhibition introduction.
English translation by Johanna Sipilä.
Johanna Sipilä (b. 1976) is a visual artist and painter based in Northern Espoo, Finland, where her daily working and thinking environment is the surrounding old-growth forest. Her painting process is driven by close observation of nature, loud music, encounters with others, and the chaos of the surrounding world.
Sipilä received her MFA from the Academy of Fine Arts in 2007 and a Masterʼs degree from Aalto University in 2023. She also studied at the Free Art School in Helsinki from 1998 to 2001. For two decades, she has exhibited widely in Finland and internationally. Alongside painting, her practice includes performance, installation, stage visuals, and collaborative painting processes.
Throughout her career, Sipilä has sought to work close to her artistic interests—previously at the Harakka ArtistsʼHouse in Helsinki and within an artist community in Tallinn, and now in the old-growth forests of Nuuksio. Her most recent solo exhibitions include Porvoo Art Hall Kulma (2026) and Pärnu City Gallery, Estonia (2026), Art Centre Ahjo in Joensuu (2025), Gallery Huuto in Helsinki (2025), and Gallery Napa in Rovaniemi (2025).
Artwork above: Johanna Sipilä, Even the Birds, oil and ink on linen, 165×165 cm, 2026