Maaria Wirkkala is a renowned Finnish visual artist, who often uses light in her artworks, in a most poetic way. The role of light varies from the main material and theme to supporting roles and final touches, but it is usually an integral part of the artworks. Wirkkala’s body of work includes installations, sculptures and media art, to name a few genres, and her artworks are often site specific and sometimes momentary. Even when Wirkkala’s subject matter is a sombre one, there’s is a certain lightness, gentle humour and a touch of joy in the artworks, often sustained by light.
In Blind Wall light shares the main role with forgotten, empty walls of Kallio area in Helsinki. A simple act of lighting those walls chances the view and makes us pay attention to the otherwise unnoticed spots of the city. The artwork is straightforward and mysterious at the same time, subtle and yet spectacular, withdrawn and expressive.
Website: www.maariawirkkala.com
RECENT SOLO EXHIBITIONS (SELECTION)
2025 NUN MEHR – MEAN TIME, Kultum, GRAZ, Austria.
2024 Back for a Moment, Sara Hilden Museum, Tampere, Finland
2024 Landing Prohibited, ARTER, Istanbul, Turkey
2017 Beyond this point, Art Front Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2011 Open situation – Carte Blanche, Helsinki Art Museum