Riikka Sormunen

Riikka Sormunen (b. 1987) lives and works in Helsinki.

“For me, painting is above all a meditative craft, joining me in an ancient secret society of solitary toilers. Although I paint alone, I am connected to all artists before me who ever attempted to painstakingly render a dew-crested petal.”

Sormunen’s paintings depict female figures with cascading curls alongside animals, plants, and fruit, within dreamlike landscapes. Intricately detailed, her works are dense with allusions, drawing inspiration from ancient myths, 17th-century Dutch still life painting, and surrealism.

Sormunen embraces the challenge of hyperrealistic portrayal, embedding details that create a convincing illusion of three-dimensionality. Rather than painting directly from observation or photographs, her process relies on analysis and memory. Her recent work reflects a fascination with pareidolia – the human tendency to perceive familiar forms, particularly faces, in random shapes. At the core of her practice is the overarching aim of connecting with the subconscious and the senses.

Exhibition Freshly Painted 14.5.–30.8.2026

A view from inside the room toward the window, where a white cat stands in front of the panoramic window, leaning against its lower edge. Outside, just below the window, a young woman plays a silver flute, and further away, by the park path, an orange and a black figure lean against each other as they stand, as if dancing.

Dance, 2026. Oil on canvas, 116 x 130 cm. Image: Jussi Tiainen