PAINTINGS | Heikki Marila

Known for his huge oil paintings and intense themes, including Biblical motifs, self-portraits and floral still lifes, Heikki Marila (b. 1966) is one of Finland's most important contemporary artists. His paintings possess a powerful physical materiality, which is enhanced by a continuous dialogue between figurative and non-figurative elements and by his thickly applied layers of oil paint. Marila captures the intensity of 17th-century painting traditions, reinterpreting them through the lens of contemporary social and visual themes.
His new monumental works are steeped in conceptual influences from art history; powerful expressionism merging with the refined elegance of baroque and rococo.
Marila's work has been shown in various exhibitions throughout Europe and is represented in numerous collections.