27.5.–28.6.2026

“INDEX” is a collection of my graphic works that I have created during the grant period, i.e. the last three years.

In my works, I have explored the themes of visibility and invisibility, color and colorlessness. How empty space, colors, patterns, traces and lines on paper create rhythms on porous paper and make the imperceptible noticeable.

My non-figurative expression has been influenced not only by the heritage of graphic design and concretism, but also by the world around me and lived life.

I work in my own studio and control the entire life cycle of a work from idea to finished artwork. For me, graphic art is not about copying an image, but a slow, intuitive and conscious process. My work is guided by the feel of the material and ecological responsibility: I favor recycled materials and strive for the most environmentally friendly methods possible. The final work takes shape through experiments, test versions and trial and error, whereby the process itself becomes part of the content of the work.

I specialize in letterpress printing out of my interest in printing techniques and papers, and the magical effect created by the pressure of the press. I build my own printing plates, combining modern and traditional techniques from laser cutting to hand-carved birch plywood and polymer.

Analogue methods, familiar old tools and equipment, and the peace of the studio provide a counterbalance to the flood of digital images and allow me to focus on what is essential – the expressive union of handprint and material.

Ilkka Kärkkäinen

@so_helsinki