Essi Kuokkanen Paints the Ineffable

Essi Kuokkanen lends shape to emotions and experiences that stir quietly beneath the surface. In her works, uncertainty crouches behind a fragile shell; spiders spinning their webs evoke the relentless passage of time; and other people appear elusive, like translucent ghosts. Beneath the inviting surfaces of her paintings runs a muted undercurrent of melancholy and solitude.

Many of the works in the exhibition revolve around themes of growth and transformation. Like in a fable, Kuokkanen reflects on what it means to be human by drawing parallels with other life forms. Dogs appear as recurring figures—creatures bound to the rules and rituals of human life, whether by choice or not. Her more recent works celebrate birds as beings free to follow their own logic, untethered by the rules of human existence.

The oldest works in the exhibition date from 2018, while the most recent were completed this year.

“I find myself returning to certain themes and figures again and again. Collectively, my paintings form a self-contained world where conflicting emotions and meanings coexist,” says Kuokkanen. “There are references to the lived environment and art history, but even familiar things often appear distorted. A painting can express a unique, individual experience of existence—capturing the wonder and strangeness of everything that surrounds us.”

Holding a Cloud is curated by Max Hannus and Piia Oksanen from Kiasma.

Essi Kuokkanen
Holding a Cloud 
October 10, 2025–February 22, 2026