7.3.2026 - 8.8.2026

Flashback

They are back!

The Flashback group exhibition brings together six Summer Artists from 2018 to 2023. Flashback will be on display in Kunsthalle Seinäjoki’s exhibition space Vintti 7.3.—8.8.2026.

The exhibition showcases new works from Eetu Kevarinmäki (Summer Artist of 2018), Aeon Lux (Summer Artist of 2019), Sofi Häkkinen (Summer Artist of 2020), Riikka Gröndahl (Summer Artist of 2021), Olivia Viitakangas (Summer Artist of 2022), Baran Caginli (Summer Artist of 2023). Displaying a wide spectrum of techniques, the exhibition ranges from photography to painting.

In the exhibition, the artists reflect on their work, its meaning, and its relationship with the place. The Summer artist of 2023, Baran Caginli, will exhibit a replica of the monument of the Finland’s 6^th President Mannerheim (Lauri Leppänen. Mannerheim, 1955) located in Seinäjoki, recreated entirely in sourdough. The Summer Artist of 2022, Olivia Viitakangas will showcase two new sound art works in collaboration with Rafael Denisov. The works are located in the Vintti-exhibition space and at the entrance of an underground parking hall in Seinäjoki city’s marketplace.

Flashback

The Flashback group exhibition is a glimpse into the past and a clear vision of the future. The name Flashback refers to memories and recollections. The artists return to the works of the summer art year, but above all, they look ahead. Riikka Gröndahl, the Summer Artist of 2021 reminisces the Summer Artist year and her encounters with the local people: “I was an artist, a saleswoman, a face-to-face fundraiser, a therapist, a reverend, an adviser, a confidant and a caregiver. I found myself reflecting the role of an artist: I am a witness and a listener, an accidental provocateur, a chronicler of time, an archivist and a distributor of data.

The exhibition is supported by Seipark.

Kunsthalle Seinäjoki celebrates the Summer Artist model

The Flashback exhibition launches an anniversary year, that will culminate with recruitment of the 10^th Summer Artist. Each summer since 2017, the City of Seinäjoki has employed a professional artist or art student to work as a Summer Artist.

The Summer Artist, “Kesäkuvataiteilija” in Finnish, works for two months with their own independent artistic project that has been visible or participatory to the citizens of the city. This has been a unique opportunity for a visual artist starting out in their career. At the same time, the summer artists and their work have become an expected part of the summer in the City of Seinäjoki. Each project has been adventurous, fresh and unexpected.

The City of Seinäjoki’s Summer Artist program has broadened the view of the possibilities in which municipalities can cooperate with visual artists. Flashback celebrates the valuable work of visual artists and the courage to create new practices of collaboration together

Opening Event

The opening event of the exhibition Flashback will take place at the exhibition space Halli of the Kunsthalle Seinäjoki. The opening event takes place on the 6^th of March at 17-20 pm. You are warmly welcome! The event is free for everyone.

The Kunsthalle Seinäjoki Art Exhibition Opening events are free of charge and open to all. In the opening events you will be among the first to experience the new art exhibition. You will also get the chance to meet the artists and other exhibition creators. The opening evenings are usually combined with the Kalevan Navetta event days: the house will then be full of varied programme activities organized by the many actors of the cultural centre. The Äärellä restaurant bistro is also open until 9.30 pm.

 

Artists in the exhibition

 

Eetu Kevarinmäki

Eetu Kevarinmäki (b. 1993) was the Summer Artist in 2018. He works mainly with internet, phone, scanner and laptop. In his practice, Kevarinmäki mines a vast amount of image data from the internet and investigates the power of images. His works collide dark future scenarios with humor. Kevarinmäki has studied at the Turku Art Academy.

 

Aeon Lux

Aeon Lux (b. 1993) was the Summer Artist in 2019. She is a Seinäjoki-based visual artist. She works with ceramic sculpture, painting, drawing and performance art. Lux’s art is driven by her desire to explore reality. Metaphysical and esoteric questions are often the starting points of her work. Aeon Lux graduated as a visual artist from Kankaanpää Art School in 2017.

 

Sofi Häkkinen

Sofi Häkkinen (b. 1990) was the Summer Artist in 2020. In her artistic work she focuses on sculpture and performance. She is the artistic director of Recover Laboratory, a multi-art collective. Häkkinen is studying for the Master’s degree in the sculpture programme at the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts. She holds a Master of Arts degree from Aalto University (ViCCA, 2018) and a Master of Fine Arts degree from TAMK (Master of Fine Arts, 2016).

 

Olivia Viitakangas

Olivia Viitakangas (b. 1999) was the Summer Artist in 2022. In her installation-based practice, Viitakangas explores the sensing and site-specific body. She uses objects and materials that are selected in relation to the context of the place, its sensory qualities, and material structures. Viitakangas is currently studying sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts at the University of the Arts Helsinki.

 

Riikka Gröndahl

Riikka Gröndahl (b.1989) was the Summer Artist in 2021.  She is a visual artist working with video, participatory art and drawing. Gröndahl is interested in repetition, duration and encounters between the inner and outer worlds. Gröndahl’s works have been exhibited in Helsinki, Turku, Seinäjoki, Gothenburg and other art galleries, as well as at numerous film festivals around the world. Gröndahl holds a Master’s degree in Fine Arts from Valand Academy, University of Gothenburg in 2018.

 

Baran Caginli

Baran Caginli (b. 1990) was the Summer Artist in 2023. His work deals with broad universal and global themes encompassing governmental power relations, conflicts, identity, discrimination and oppression. Caginli works with photography, sculpture, installations and archival material. He often uses handmade elements and techniques. Caginli holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts.

 

Photo on the right: Eetu Kevarinmäki, Explosions in the sky, 2025