30.1. — 22.2.2026 (Gallery)

Welcome to the opening reception on Thursday 29 January from 5-7 pm!

Sculptor Matti Kalkamo’s works stem from where no outside gaze can permeate: inside the human mind. In Beware of God, materials and techniques bend to the will of ideas. Often, material itself carries a layer of the work’s metaphorical meaning.

In his work, Kalkamo addresses fundamental questions of existence – often grim ones – but does it with his characteristic humour. For him, humour is not only lightness, but a vote of no confidence in the current state of affairs. In Kalkamo’s world, the unexpected turns and dreamlike logic of imagination soften even harsh subjects, offering the viewer multiple points of entry.

The works take on a human scale but leave fundamental answers open. Kalkamo doesn’t offer ready-made explanations, opting to give the power and freedom of interpretation to the viewer.

The artist has been supported by Finnish Cultural Foundations Pirkanmaa Regional Fund / Lea ja Pekka Suorannan rahasto.

Matti Kalkamo (b. 1968) graduated from Kankaanpää Art School in 1994. His sculptures and installations, which combine various sculptural methods and materials without prejudice, explore themes of human existence and the world’s pressure points. The use of lost-wax casting has been his primary method.

Kalkamo has created 16 public works, one of which has been destroyed. He has held approximately 25 solo exhibitions since 1998 and participated in around 80 group exhibitions. Kalkamo has received the following awards: 1st Prize, Puumala Environmental Art Competition 2025; 1st Prize, Nuoliala School Art Competition 2019; Environmental Artwork of the Year 2013; 1st Prize, Hämeenlinna Police Station Art Competition 2012; and the William Thuring Prize 2011. He was nominated for the Ars Fennica Prize in 2009. Kalkamo’s works are held in collections including the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, Oulu Art Museum, Tampere Art Museum, the City of Tampere, the Finnish Art Society, and the Finnish State Art Deposit Collection.