Kari Vehosalo, "The Past is a Gaping Hole III", 2023, oil on copper, 18 x 15 cm. © Erno Enkenberg. © Kari Vehosalo
Kari Vehosalo explores power, its essence and structures, and how the social contract, even unconsciously, shapes and restricts our way of being. He views the compositions in his paintings as arenas of interaction between fields of force, allowing him to engage with concepts fundamental to humanity, such as death, beauty, sexuality, and power. His paintings reflect postmodern ideology—ironic and playful, with beauty, horror, and absurdity closely intertwined. Despite these postmodern elements, his work is grounded in humanist tradition, expressing a genuine interest in humanity: art is transient, life is short.
Kari Vehosalo (b. 1982) has exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions, including at Turku Art Museum, Rovaniemi Art Museum, Haus am Lützowplatz in Berlin, Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma in Helsinki, and Amos Anderson Art Museum in Helsinki. An extensive mid-career retrospective was shown at the Sara Hildén Art Museum in Tampere in 2021. In addition to private collections, he has work in several notable public collections, including Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki Art Museum, Saastamoinen Foundation, Wihuri Foundation, and the Henna and Pertti Niemistö Foundation collection. Vehosalo was awarded the Ars Fennica prize in 2017.