Paintings / This Moment – Jaana Valtari & Pete Jukka Koivunen

Pete Jukka Koivunen and Jaana Valtari graduated from the Turku Arts Academy in 2012, majoring in painting. They work in Turku, near Kakola, where they share a studio. The idea for a joint exhibition was born there. Sharing a workspace has led to shared themes in their work: for both artists, playfulness and the ability to pause in the moment are essential.

PETE JUKKA KOIVUNEN (b. 1983, Hämeenlinna)
PAINTINGS

The themes of Koivunen’s paintings and drawings range from imaginary landscapes to biblical motifs, such as the Descent from the Cross and Creation. His works emerge through a playful exploration of images as he studies his own artistic handwriting. Koivunen seeks to harness his manic energy by focusing on the forms within landscapes.

The landscape is a crucial theme because nature does not conceal its beauty or its suffering. In his paintings, natural imagery aims to reflect the deepest essence of humanity—the very things we try to hide from others.

The exhibition features drawings, acrylic paintings, ink tempera, and oil paintings created between 2013 and 2015.

JAANA VALTARI (b. 1972, Vähäkyrö)
THIS MOMENT

Since 2011, Valtari has painted festive-themed environmental portraits that explore group dynamics, exclusion, and the feeling of being an outsider. Now, her focus is on the stillness after a celebration—a paradox where the moment is both frozen and dynamic. It is more of a movement towards something than an arrival. The temporary pauses in life’s flow offer brief glimpses of the present. Though we may imagine otherwise, in the end, all we truly have is this moment.

“I work quickly, and color is a crucial element for me. At the beginning, I don’t yet know where the process will lead me. Draw a line and listen to what it says. This is the philosophy I strive to follow in my work.”

The exhibition features ten paintings and an installation that includes bright light lamps. Using a pigment transfer technique, fragments of previous years’ festive-themed paintings have been transferred onto their surfaces.

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