The Fine Arts Academy of Finland Foundation Prize awarded to Axel Straschnoy, Johanna Lonka, Kaija Hinkula and Bita Razavi

Since its introduction, the Fine Arts Academy of Finland Foundation Prize has been awarded in collaboration with EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art and the City of Espoo. In 2025, the prize consists of a €45,000 cash award shared among the recipients, with financial support from the City of Espoo. Additionally, the main prize winner is granted the opportunity to hold an exhibition at EMMA, accompanied by an artist book published by the museum with support from the Fine Arts Academy of Finland Foundation. 

The prize jury, appointed by the Fine Arts Academy of Finland Foundation, has awarded €36,000 and an invitation to hold an exhibition at EMMA in 2026 to visual artist and filmmaker Axel Straschnoy. Meanwhile, visual artists Kaija Hinkula, Johanna Lonka, and Bita Razavi will each receive €3,000. 

The jury describes their selection as follows: “All the awarded artists create spatial works that incorporate a variety of artistic methods. However, each artist’s approach and expression are distinct. Axel Straschnoy explores scientific phenomena and human-developed theories, transforming them into artistic experiences. Bita Razavi assumes the role of an observer, examining human actions, desires, and speech, as well as the emotions, contradictions, and resolutions they generate. Johanna Lonka delves into the ways different species adapt to and can adapt to a changing environment and a disappearing natural world – at times reversing the relationships between species. Kaija Hinkula, in turn, works playfully within the expanded field of painting, encouraging viewers to engage their imagination, dream, and envision a better future. The prize winners are in an excellent creative phase, and their work is topical as well as internationally relevant.” 

The prize jury consisted of Johanna Pihlajamaa, visual artist and Chair of the Board of the Fine Arts Academy of Finland Foundation; painter Erno Enkenberg; photographic artist Erica Nyholm; EMMA’s Executive Director Pilvi Kalhama; and Susanna Tommila, Cultural Director for the City of Espoo. 

The jury selected Axel Straschnoy, Bita Razavi, Johanna Lonka, and Kaija Hinkula from a total of 23 nominees, based on proposals made by the Board of the Fine Arts Academy of Finland Foundation and EMMA. 

Read more about the artists and their work here. 

Previous recipients of the Fine Arts Academy of Finland Foundation Prize, who have also held exhibitions at EMMA, include Katarina Reuter, Aaron Heino, Tuomas A. Laitinen, Camilla Vuorenmaa, and Outi Pieski. The next prize will be awarded in 2028.