Leena Luostarinen: Misfit
For the first time, HAM presents Leena Luostarinen’s golden period works from its collection as a single display. Resting wild cats, references to various cultures, and personal messages permeate her large-scale, vibrantly coloured pieces.
leena luostarinen: night leopard ii, 1981–1982. photo: ham/sonja hyytiäinen
Leena Luostarinen (1949–2013) ranks among Finland’s most distinguished painters, who left an indelible mark on the Finnish art world. Now presented together for the first time, the exhibitionbrings together Luostarinen’s monumental paintings from HAM’s collection, dating from what is considered her creative peak in the 1980s and 1990s.
Luostarinen made her breakthrough in 1981 with a solo exhibition of large-scale feline predators. She soon became known for powerful paintings that visibly bear the marks of their making – from palette-knife traces to vigorous brushstrokes. In 1988, she was named Finland’s Artist of the Year.
Despite the acclaim she received, she often felt like an outsider, sensing that she neither belonged nor could conform. She travelled widely, driven by a longing for distant places. Drawing on influences from many cultures, she developed a compelling, recognisable style that resists categorisation. The exhibition architecture draws its colour scheme from Luostarinen’s paintings, while subtly mimicking the symmetrical floor plan of an imaginary temple. Feline creatures guide the visitors through the exhibition, which is arranged neither chronologically nor thematically.
The exhibition is complemented by loans from private and public collections.
The exhibition, radiating the power of bold brushstrokes, is curated by HAM’s Satu Metsola and Vilma Roine.
The exhibition architecture is designed by Aalto+Aalto.
