Jarmo Mäkilä’s boyhood-themed paintings can be interpreted as an investigation of the human condition, his throngs of boys symbolizing a multi-cloned self-image projected into a variety of different situations. His paintings incorporate elements from the artist’s personal history in a boyhood adventure tinged with hints of surrealism and symbolism.

For many years, Mäkilä has been immersed in portraying the psychological landscapes of childhood; youth for him represents a condition of anarchy – a time of unlimited adventure free of duty and responsibility. The boys in his paintings are lost in their own private worlds, like Peter Pan, or the Lost Boys, who never want to grow up.

In a career spanning 40 years, Mäkilä has earned himself an established place as one of Finland’s foremost artists and attracted widespread international interest with his boyhood paintings.