Kaarina Kaikkonen b. 1952
Born in Iisalmi, Finland | Lives and works in Helsinki
Kaarina Kaikkonen, one of our most internationally recognized sculptors, is known for shaping urban landscapes and emphasizing community through her installations. In her works, one can find references to current themes of humanity’s place in their own time and of basic needs that always exist regardless of environment or culture. Old clothes contain the former user's presence, which wraps around Kaikkonen’s story and places the viewer before something new and unknown but, at the same time, exceedingly familiar and intimate. The impressive installations made out of men’s jackets and shirts are well known in Finland and globally. In Finland, one of her most famous works is the Way (2000), an installation that covered the steps of Helsinki Cathedral and was composed of thousands of men’s suit jackets.
Her works can be found in several collections, such as the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, Helsinki City Art Museum, and Espoo Museum of Modern Art of EMMA. Kaikkonen’s achievements have been recognised with numerous prestigious awards and honours. She received the National Visual Arts Prize in 1989 and the Finland Prize for the Arts in 2001. In 2013, she was appointed a Knight, First Class, of the Order of the Lion of Finland, and in 2022, she was awarded the Pro Finlandia Medal. Her international recognition includes the Public Prize at Den Haag Sculptuur in the Netherlands in 2004 and an Honourable Mention at the 11th Cairo Biennale in Egypt in 2009.
Galerie Forsblom has been representing Kaarina Kaikkonen since 2008.
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Kaarina Kaikkonen
The Tears Shed Because of You January 26 - November 25, 2024Sculptor Kaarina Kaikkonen makes installations out of recycled items of clothing that radiate a powerful presence. She began using discarded clothing as her raw material back in the 1980s, giving worthless, worn-out and tattered garments a second life as works of art. Kaikkonen handles her raw material with warmth and...Read more -
Kaarina Kaikkonen
I No Longer Hear You Singing September 18, 2020 - October 1, 2026Kaarina Kaikkonen’s (b. 1952) recent sculptures are conceived around tableware from her childhood home. They were inspired by the artist’s compulsion to smash and remold the memory-laden objects, thereby inculcating them with life lessons and reshaping them as an inseparable part of nature and the animal kingdom. In contrast to...Read more -
Kaarina Kaikkonen
Growing the Sun August 18 - September 10, 2017Used items of clothing convey an uncannily powerful sense of presence in the work of Kaarina Kaikkonen (b. 1952) The discarded clothing is highly personal and intimate, yet highly familiar and universal, holding memories and reminding us of time’s passage. Twisting playfully in mid-air, the interwoven clothing in her latest...Read more -
Kaarina Kaikkonen
Whereabouts March 14 - April 6, 2014Kaarina Kaikkonen, one of our most internationally recognized sculptors, is known for shaping urban landscapes and emphasizing community through her installations. In her works, one can find references to current themes of humanity’s place in their own time and of basic needs that always exist regardless of environment or culture....Read more -
Kaarina Kaikkonen
Olisin halunnut puhjeta kukkaan March 3 - April 3, 2011Kaarina Kaikkonen, one of our most internationally recognized sculptors, is known for shaping urban landscapes and emphasizing community through her installations. In her works, one can find references to current themes of humanity’s place in their own time and of basic needs that always exist regardless of environment or culture....Read more
