Raana Lehtinen: Lomassa | In Between

The art works of Raana Lehtinen radiate a tantalizing sense of imagination – an element of fairy-tale. Within her distinctive world, seemingly spilled spontaneously across the canvas, everything feels harmonious, and even the ordinary turns luminous. Lehtinen plays at the threshold between the visible and the hidden: figures merge with nature, while miniature details emerge with striking clarity. Foliage, animals, and insects take on heightened significance, and – as in fairy tales – small things assume a grander scale and deeper meaning. She embraces bright color not as exaggeration, but as truth – an honest reflection of nature’s own glow. In her world, everyday life becomes enchanted: the blossoming of bird cherry trees transports us into a realm of dream, and a spring picnic is transformed into an almost supernatural vision.

Lehtinen’s paintings are grounded in her own observations and experiences. Her subjects are drawn from everyday life – walks, friendly encounters, and quiet, unremarkable moments that in her hands become extraordinary. Her immediate natural surroundings lie at the heart of her work: through them, she reflects on humanity’s place within the grander scheme of nature. Her paintings are not bound to a single moment or location; rather, time and space intertwine – night may inhabit day, and summer and autumn may merge with spring. In her uninhibited approach, Lehtinen transcends temporal boundaries, allowing her painted world to exist beyond linear time.

Raana Lehtinen (b. 1990) graduated from Helsinki’s Academy of Fine Arts in 2024, and from the Free Art School in 2019. She has presented several solo exhibitions, and her work has featured in numerous group shows, including the Academy of Fine Arts’ Master’s Degree Show in Helsinki, Wiurila Summer Art Biennale in Salo, the Ljungberg Museum in Sweden, and the Museum of National History in Hillerød, Denmark. Her works are held in public collections including the Finnish National Gallery, Tampere Art Museum, and Sokos Hotel Torni. Lehtinen lives and works in Helsinki.