Photo: Jari Hannuniemi/Aine Art Museum 2026
Kaarina Kaikkonen’s public artwork Onnenlintu has been installed in the courtyard of the Rajakartano building in Tornio as the latest acquisition of the Aine Art Museum.
For Kaikkonen, the bird, with its clean lines and graceful form in flight, is also a metaphor for free creative thinking—capable of transcending the various physical and mental boundaries and limitations created by human beings.
“The white bird brings peace and a sense of well-being. It brings hope,” she says.
Kaarina Kaikkonen, one of our most internationally recognized sculptors, is known for shaping urban landscapes and emphasizing community through her installations. Among her best-known works is Way (2000), an installation that covered the steps of Helsinki Cathedral and was composed of thousands of men’s suit jackets.
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.
