Antero Kahila is a critically acclaimed, award-winning visual artist and painter based in Helsinki, known for figurative works that explore themes of alienation, marginality, and loneliness. A former Carnegie Art Award finalist, Kahila’s work is held in several prestigious collections, including those of Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, the Sara Hildén Art Museum, and the Saastamoinen Foundation. He caught the attention of the general public with a unique, research-based project to reconstruct the lost version of Caravaggio’s St Matthew and the Angel. The project continues to attract international interest.
In his most recent work, Kahila addresses themes of insecurity, fear of disintegration, and compassion. He reflects on corporeality and the conditions under which recognition through the gaze becomes possible. His latest paintings that feature garments and accumulations of clothing also seem to remind us of the many global crises of our time: the human suffering caused by war and climate catastrophe, and the uncontrollable flows of migration. In recent years, Kahila has also become known for a number of cross-disciplinary collaborations.
A book on Kahila’s work, published by Artbear Books, a Berlin-based art publisher, will be released in conjunction with the exhibition.
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