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Heikki Marila at Mänttä Art Festival

Heikki Marila

Kaksoset, 2024

Oil on canvas

240 x 300 cm/95 x 119 in

HMAR_565

Heikki Marila: XXIX Mänttä Art Festival

Mänttä, Finland

June 15 - August 31, 2025

 

One of the 84 participating artists is Heikki Marila (b. 1966), a leading figure in contemporary Finnish art. The exhibition features several of Marila’s works from 2021, as well as a single piece titled Twins, from 2024.

 

In the 2021 paintings, Marila revisits the floral motif he has explored for over 15 years — originally inspired by the flamboyant Dutch flower still lifes of the 17th century. These works depict decaying bouquets, offering a visual commentary on the chaotic state of the contemporary world. The stench of decay, the toxic fumes, are metaphorically painted away — an integral part of Marila’s emotionally charged creative process. The themes in these works remain highly relevant today. The paintings are expressive and marked by an intense physicality — characteristic of Marila, who is known for his bodily, almost visceral approach to painting. For him, the method of making and the visual language are inseparable.

 

At the Mänttä Art Festival, the theme is a firm No! Through this word of refusal, the exhibition explores themes such as local identity, childhood and parenthood, the human environment, tradition, as well as the mind and body.

Heikki Marila’s works have been widely exhibited in Finland, the Nordic countries, and across Europe.

 

 

Pekilo

Tehtaankatu 21, Mäntä, Finland

OPENING HOURS

Every day 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. (also midsummer)

 

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