Jarmo Mäkilä – I am a Multitude

The paintings of Jarmo Mäkilä (b. 1952) is one of the most significant painters of his generation and has had many selves, also as an artist. His realistic paintings are mental landscapes. They are metaphorical worlds that include all of his selves, from knee-high boy to the threshold of adulthood, plus alternative presents and futures, real and imagined. The central themes of the works, which evoke conflicting and strong emotions, are the development of the self and the importance of memories and the subconscious.

“Things are not what they seem,” says Jarmo Mäkilä. “A picture is not what you see, but what it awakens in you and what is behind it. A person lives, in a way, two lives: external and internal. One is hidden and the other is visible. I am trying to engage with my hidden life.”

Ane Gyllenberg too was interested in the development of the self and the effect of spirituality on a person. This interest is reflected in the art collection of the Signe and Ane Gyllenberg Foundation, which includes numerous works depicting inner dialogue and spiritual exploration. Mäkilä feels that his reflections on the development of the self connect him with Ane Gyllenberg.

This exhibition presents Jarmo Mäkilä’s recent paintings, sculptures and an installation. Some of the works have been prepared especially for this exhibition and are being presented in dialogue with art in the Gyllenberg Collection. In addition to Mäkilä's works the exhibition will include works by i.e. Fanny Churberg, Akseli Gallen-Kallela, Ernst Krohn, Väinö Kunnas and Tyko Sallinen.

The curator of the exhibition is Timo Valjakka and the exhibition architect is Päivi Kettunen.