Maaria Wirkkala
https://www.maariawirkkala.com/Maaria Wirkkala, geb. 1954, lebt in Espoo (Finnland) und in Südfrankreich. Sie hat in ihrem umfangreichen künstlerischen Œuvre viele Orte künstlerisch verwandelt. Fast immer arbeitet sie ortsspezifisch. Zu ihrem sich wiederholenden künstlerischen Grundvokabular zählen Glasleitern und Kunstpostkarten, vornehmlich mit Motiven aus der Frührenaissance. Sie nahm drei Mal an der Biennale von Venedig teil, 2007 als Vertreterin Finnlands.
Maaria Wirkkala, born in 1954, lives in Espoo (Finland) and in the south of France. She has artistically transformed many places in her extensive artistic oeuvre. Her work is almost always site-specific. Her recurring artistic vocabulary includes glass ladders and postcards of paintings, mainly from the early Renaissance. She has taken part in the Venice Biennale three times, in 2007 representing Finland.
Einzelausstellungen | Solo shows (selection)
2025 NUN MEHR | MEANTIME, KULTUMUSEUM Graz, Austria
2024 Back for a Moment, Sara Hilden Museum, Tampere, Finland; Landing Prohibited, ARTER, Istanbul, Turkey
2017 Beyond this point, Art Front Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2014 Open situation – Carte Blanche, Helsinki Art Museum, Finland
2011 Wondering, project for the National Museum of Modern Art, Athens, Greece; SHARING, project for Kulturzentrum bei den Minoriten Graz, Austria
2010 There is a Time for Us All, project for the Lahti Historical Museum, Finland
2009 Depending On – Kaustinen Chamber Music Festival, Finland
2005 Tabulava, Helsinki, Finland
2002 SO WHAT, project for Helsinki Festivals, Kunsthalle Helsinki, Finland
2001 A Void Me, Two-day retrospective, Museum of Finnish Architecture, Helsinki, Finland; Research cells, National Public Art Council, Stockholm, Museum of Sketches, Lund, Sweden
1991 Archive of Moments, Ars Fennica exhibition, Turku Art Museum, Kouvola Art Museum, Aine Art Museum, Finland
1989 Meanwhile in Another Place, passing-by places, Helsinki, Finland
1987 Departure, off Karhusaari island, 7 March at 20:30 hours, Espoo, Finland
1986 Chalk House, Galleria Sculptor, Helsinki, Finland
1985 Moving Pictures, 26 August at 21:30 hours, Suomenlinna, Helsinki, Finland
1984 Space of Mind, Galleria Bronda, Helsinki, Finland
1983 Fragment of A Journey, Galleria Bronda, Helsinki, Finland
Gruppenausstellungen | Group exhibitions (selection)
2025 GOTT HAT KEIN MUSEUM | NO MUSEUM HAS GOD, steirischer herbst 25, KULTUMUSEUM Graz, Austria
2023 ARVIKA LJUS, Arvika Sweden; DUO Exhibition with Minna Miettilä Sculptor Gallery, Helsinki; INTERMEZZO Kunsthal 44Moen
2023 “Navigating North” Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art Helsinki, Rovaniemi Art Museum; Project for RIBOCA 3 Excersises in Respect curated by René Block; ”This Play” Arter Istanbul, Turkey
2021 Japan Alps Art Festival, Omachi, Japan; Helsinki Biennial; Art at Fuliang 2021, China
2020 TOUCH – EMMA Museum. Saastamoinen Foundation
2018 Moenlight Sonata, Kunsthal44 Moen Denmark
2017 The Garden sees, Garden of the Athens Concert Hall MAGRON; Japan Alps Art Festival, Omachi, Nagano, Japan; VULGATA. 77 Zugriffe auf die Bibel | 77 Hits on the Bible, KULTUM Graz; Satoyama Museum of Contemporary Art, KINARE; Echigo Tsumari winter Matsudai
2016 MIND MOSAIC (project at the Rut Bryk Magic Box exhibition), EMMA Museum of Modern Art, Espoo, Finland
2015/16 Remember Lidice, Block Archive, Berlin; Ich kenne kein Weekend , Archive and Collection René Block, The Neuer Berliner Kunstverein (n.b.k.); Gegen Against, Salon Dahlman, Berlin; PROPORTIO Palazzo Fortuny, Venice; KIASMA Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki
2013 Tanas, Berlin – “THE UNANSWERED QUESTION” – Iskele 2; Setouchi Triennial, Megijima island, Japan; Provocate iwbFilter4, Basel Switzerland
2012 Echigo Tsumari Art Triennial, Japan – house project House of Swings; KIASMA Museum of Contemporary Art Helsinki; MITLEID | Compassion, Kulturzentrum bei den Minoriten Graz, Austria; Beauty – 6 scenes Vantaa Art Museum
2011 TRA – EDGE OF BECOMING, Palazzo Fortuny, Venice, Italy
2010 Starter , VKF Contemporary Art Collection, ARTER , Istanbul
2009 Fly me to the Moon, 44Moen, Danmark; Echigo Tsumari Art Triennial, Japan; Water and Land Art Festival, Niigata City, Japan
2008 Who Killed the Painting, Neues Museum, Nürnberg, Germany; U–Turn, Food for Thought, Stege Sukkerfabrik, Møn, Denmark; ILLUSOIRE (project at the Claude Monet exhibition), EMMA Museum of Modern Art, Espoo, Finland
2007 52nd Venice Biennale, Italy
2006 Echigo Tsumari Art Triennial, Japan; ARS 06 Kiasma, Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki, Finland
2005 Centre of Gravity, Istanbul Modern; Yokohama Triennial, Japan
2003 Europe Exists, Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art, Thessaloniki, Greece; Echigo Tsumari Art Triennial, Japan; Himmelschwer. Transformationen der Schwerkraft | Transformation of Gravity, Graz 2003 – Kultuhauptstadt Europas | Graz 2003 – Culture Capital of Euroope, Graz Austria
2002 Fluxus und die Folgen, Wiesbaden, Germany; Synopsis II Theologies, Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens, Greece
2001 Plateau of Humankind, 49th Venice Biennale, Italy
2000 Edstrand Foundation Art Prize Exhibition, Rooseum, Malmö, Sweden; Dreams 1900–2000, Equitable Gallery, New York, Historisches Museum der Stadt Wien, Austria
1997 Istanbul Biennale, Turkey
1995 Istanbul Biennale, Turkey; 46th Venice Biennale, Campo Bandiera e Moro, Italy
Preise und Auszeichnungen | Awards and honours
2018 The Order of the Star of Italy (Ordine della Stella d’Italia)
2013 Civitella Ranieri Fellowship
2011 Pallas Athene Award, Aalto University, Helsinki, Finland
2008 Pro Finlandia Medal
2006 Membership of the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts
2002 SUOMI Art Prize
2000 The Edstrand Foundation Art Prize
1991 Ars Fennica Art Award
1990 The 80th Anniversary Award of the Association of Finnish Sculptors
1985 Finnish Critics’ award
