JARKKO RANTANEN
Born 1980 in Ähtäri, Finland
Works in Turku, Finland.
Jarkko Rantanen paints landscapes, portraits and still lifes. These three basic motifs are the foundation of his work, although he uses them freely and constantly seeks new points of view. Art history serves as a great inspiration for Rantanen.
He has painted landscape paintings over the last ten years. For example, in the exhibition at tm-galleria 2019, he displayed a painting installation called Voyage pittoresque. The installation had 90 paintings all painted on aluminium panels. Rantanen collected the motifs for the paintings, varying from a modest pothole to massive mountainsides around Europe. All these places had some traces of human influence. Most of them had been battlefields earlier, but now they were taken over by nature.
Rantanen’s latest project has dealt with portrait painting. When covid closed society, he invited people to sit as models at his studio. The idea was to meet and paint different people as a sort of everyday activity. He started with his colleagues but ended up painting total strangers. Over 60 people have been portrayed so far, and the paintings will be exhibited at Turku Kunsthalle in 2023.
Rantanen paints primarily with oils on different surfaces. He uses canvas as well as aluminium and composite panels. He works fast and uses his fingers and spatulas as well as brushes to achieve the desired result. His painting style could be described as expressive, but there is realism and even a hint of meticulousness in his work.
CV
EDUCATION
2002 – 2006 Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), Arts Academy
at Turku University of Applied Sciences (FI)
2001 – 2002 Orivesi College of Arts, Department of Visual Arts (FI)
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2024 Pantings of Trees, Galleria Aski, Turku (FI)
2023 Portrait Project, Kunsthalle Turku (FI)
2020 Garden Studies, Galleria Joella, Turku (FI)
Voyage pittoresque, Galleria Becker, Jyväskylä (FI)
2019 Voyage pittoresque, tm-galleria, Helsinki (FI)
Mökki galleria, Kaarina (FI)
2018 Mountain, Galleria Å, Turku (FI)
Voyage pittoresque, Poriginal Galleria, Pori (FI)
2017 Voyage pittoresque, Mältinranta Art Center, Gallery, Tampere (FI)
Galleria Uusi Kipinä, Lahti (FI)
2016 Pirkanpohja Art Centre, Blue House, Ähtäri (FI)
Summer Show in Pinxinmäki, Sysmä (FI)
Auran Galleria, Turku (FI)
2015 Vanhan Raatihuoneen Galleria, Turku (FI)
2011 Kulttuurigrilli, Pispala, Tampere (FI)
2010 Galleria Joella, Turku (FI)
2009 Galleria Jangva, Helsinki (FI)
Galleria Rajatila, Tampere (FI)
2006 Köysiratagalleria, Turku (FI)
2005 Pirkanlinna, Ähtäri (FI)
SELECTED GROUP AND JOINT EXHIBITIONS
2025 Aski, Gallery K 41, with Gallery Aski, Bryssel (BE)
Supermarket Art Fair, with Gallery Aski, Stockholm (SE)
2024 Us and Them – Läheltä ja kaukaa, Aboa Vetus & Ars Nova museum, Turku (FI)
Overflow III, Visual artists of Taiteen talo, Taiteen talo, Turku (FI)
2023 Turku Artists' Association 99th Annual Exhibition, Kunsthalle Turku (FI)
Overflow II, Visual artists of Taiteen talo, Taiteen talo, Turku (FI)
2022 Turku Artists' Association 98th Annual Exhibition, Kunsthalle Turku (FI)
Overflow, Visual artists of Taiteen talo, Taiteen talo, Turku (FI)
2021 Sykli, Turku Artists' Association Members Exhibition, Loimaan Taidetalo (FI)
Turku Artists' Association 97th Annual Exhibition, Kunsthalle Turku (FI)
15 Artists, Pirkanpohja Art Centre, Ähtäri (FI)
2017 Together (Yhdessä), Ostrobothnia Art Society, theme exhibition, Seinäjoki Art Hall (FI)
Finnish Painters’ Union summer exhibition in Heinävesi Cultural church, Heinävesi (FI)
Turku Artists' Association 93rd Annual Exhibition, Galleria Å, Turku (FI)
2015 Landscape, Union of Finnish Art Associations, Cultural Center Poleeni, Pieksämäki (FI)
2014 Many touches with Reality, Turku Drawing Society, Gallery Toolbox, Berlin (DE)
2011 Otanta – Turku 2011, Art Center Voipaala, Valkeakoski (FI)
On the Surface (Pinnalla) – kesänäyttely, Orimattila Art Museum (FI)
2010 Väärin piirretty, Turku Drawing Society, Turku Art Museum (FI)
2008 New Painting, Lahti Art Museum, Lahti (FI)
Ars Kärsämäki, Exhibition of the Young Artists, Art House Nahkuri, Kärsämäki (FI)
Turku Artists' Association 84th Annual Exhibition, Turku (FI)
It’s Nothing Personal, Arte 20 years Exhibition, Titanik Gallery, Turku (FI)
GRANTS
2023 The Finnish Cultural Foundation, for working period of 6 months
2022 The Finnish Cultural Foundation, Mobility Grant
2021 The Finnish Cultural Foundation, Varsinais-Suomi
Regional Fund, One-year grant
Arts Promotion Centre Finland, COVID-19 grant for
working period of two months
2020 Arts Promotion Centre Finland, Public Display Grant
Turku Art Society, Residency Grant
2018 Arts Promotion Centre Finland, Regional office of
Southwest Finland, Artistic work
2017 Arts Promotion Centre Finland, Regional office of
Southwest Finland, Project Grant
2016 Arts Promotion Centre Finland, Regional office of
Southwest Finland, Project Grant
2015 Finnish Art Society, The Young Artist Grant
2010 Arts Council of Southwest Finland, Project Grant
2009 Paulo Foundation, Project Grant
2008 Turun Saskiat ry, Project Grant
2006 Turku School of Arts Grant
2002 Orivesi College of Arts, Visual Art Grant
WORKS IN COLLECTIONS
The Collection of Finnish State Art Commission
The Aine Art Museum, Tornio (FI)
Salo Art Museum (FI)
City of Turku (FI)
City of Naantali (FI)
City of Ähtäri (FI)
T-hospital Art Collections, Turku (FI)
Private collections