Jarmo Mäkilä: Poika / Junge 8.6. - 22.9.2024

Rauma-born visual artist Jarmo Mäkilä (b. 1952) returns to his childhood memories in his first solo exhibition at the Rauma Art Museum. Strong memories in the suburbs of Rauma, boys’ games and many memorable events in the city of birth have long been recorded in the artist’s canvases and installations and will now make their first appearance where they were experienced. The exhibition celebrates Mäkilä’s 50-year career as an internationally renowned artist.

In the summer, the exhibition will partially expand to other parts of the city:

Jarmo Mäkilä: Matrix Hardcore, Rauma Church of the Holy Cross Church June 8th – July 28th, 2024
Jarmo Mäkilä: Abandoned, Prisma Shopping Center June 8th – September 22nd, 2024
Jarmo Mäkilä: Saint Sarah series, Gallery Store July 20–28, 2024

The exhibition is curated by museum curator Taina Myllyharju and exhibition architect Päivi Kettunen.

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.