Kristo Saarikoski
Twists
26 June–20 July 2025
At first there was the canvas.
In January 2025, Kristo Saarikoski started from the top corner. The paint was yellow tempera – delicate and translucent, almost like watercolor. Several layers were needed. Paint on paint.
At that point, Saarikoski did not have a clear idea of what he was creating. The gentle brush strokes on the canvas set the pace and mood for his work, but did not define the subject or theme. For a long time, he did not even know which way the canvases should be – let alone what the final outcome would be. He looked for a clue as to where the painting was going, a sign of where to go. The colors that ended up in the painting led the way forward.
In March, Saarikoski became interested in ropes and knots. The symbolism of knots intrigued him: the twists that create them, the emotions they reflect. The reef knot and the slip knot that is easy to untie by pulling the right part of the rope. He was also fascinated by the shape of ropes. It made him think about the basics of painting. The gesture, the fine brush strokes on the canvas.
At some point, the ropes began to remind him of something more concrete. The colors of the paintings and the ropes reminded him of moments spent with his father at a yacht club in Helsinki, where they had night watches together in many summers. It was as if the painting had spoken to him, revealed something essential about itself and about painting.
That is what it is like to live with paintings. They do not reveal everything at once. The works featured in the exhibition show the painting process, the passing of time, and various centuries-old painting techniques. The moments when one had to be brave, even when afraid, to draw an ultramarine line across a large painting because the work seemed to ask for it.
At the same time, it was important to protect the delicate quality already present in the painting. The bright light radiating from the canvas.
Sonja Saarikoski
Kristo Saarikoski (b. 1992) is a Helsinki-based artist. He graduated from the Free Art School’s painting program in 2024.
Thank you to the Finnish Art Society and Paulo Foundation for supporting the exhibition.
Contact information
www.kristosaarikoski.com
kristo.saarikoski (a) gmail.com
Instagram: ___kristo____
