Marjatta Hanhijoki: Aino and Reetu

Printmaker, painter Marjatta Hanhijoki (born 1948 in Porvoo) explores the wonders of life and everyday reality with a gentle gaze. In the works of the artist who mainly depicts people, spaces and still lives, people are present even when they are not visible in the picture. The objects of her miniature worlds tell stories of all the hands they have passed through. Time is layered in still lives consisting of wondrous everyday objects set side by side. Marjatta Hanhijoki works with watercolours, drawing, printmaking and photography.

The title of the exhibition refers to a work that began in the 1970s in Hailuoto, when Hanhijoki went from house to house photographing the island’s inhabitants and homes for her works. She repeatedly photographed siblings Aino and Reetu who lived in the Piili house until the early 1990s. Eventually the models became her friends, and many of her friends have also been her models over the years.

The exhibition continues a series of exhibitions presenting her entire career, each creating a different perspective on the artist’s rich and varying output that spans more than 50 years.

Exhibition themes

The following themes will be on display in the main gallery of the museum: Aino and Reetu (portraits), The Blue Room, Space and Still Life, Mirror and Dressing Table, and Princess Margareta. In addition, a Children’s Chamber will be built in Gallery A, inviting visitors to draw and explore the artist’s miniature worlds through a number of artworks that are hung lower than usual. In the smaller gallery, new portrait series Faces in Hailuoto (2021–2023) will be shown for the first time.