GALLERY ASKI: KRISTA AUTIO – UNBEARABLY HAPPY STRIPES 

Oil paintings about colours and happiness.

My paintings on display at Galleria Aski deal with happiness. I began to explore the concept of happiness when the World Happiness Report had chosen Finland as the happiest country in the world several times. At first, this surprised me, as Finnish happiness may not be immediately noticeable. In Finland, there are things that bring happiness or at least satisfaction, which many countries in the world do not have, such as pure nature, basic security, various free educational opportunities, social security, and democracy.

However, I started to ponder what brings me happiness personally, and whether being Finnish affects that. An important factor in my happiness is being able to do work that I love, namely painting. In painting, what makes me happy is handling colors, searching for and finding the right color, and combining one color with another. Light and bright colors bring me refreshment and joy, but deeper colors provide a longer-lasting feeling of happiness.

I appreciate simple and clear forms. In these paintings, I have used stripes as a form. Stripes belong to Finnish cultural tradition. They can be seen in rag rugs, wool carpets, national costumes, and striped shirts. I believe that simple, clear things and beautiful colors provide a counterbalance to the complex twists of everyday life and thus also a feeling of happiness.

My painting process is slow, and I spend a lot of time with my works. Therefore, my paintings become like my friends. I have given my paintings names of people. The names have come with the colors; a certain color or shade has brought with it a memory or image of some significant person.

Krista Autio is a Finnish painter who lives in Belgium. Her works have been exhibited in Finland, Belgium, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and the United States. Autio founded the contemporary art project space K41 nordiKey in Brussels in 2017, where she works as a curator. The space mainly showcases the works of Nordic contemporary artists living in Belgium.

An artist talk will take place on Sunday, July 27, from 3 to 4 PM.

The Artist’s Website: Krista Autio

Instagram: kristaautioart