Aki Turunen: Tectonic Kiss (7 Feb 2025)

Feb 7 – Mar 9, 2025

Bulevardi 10, 00120 Helsinki

Tectonic Kiss, Aki Turunen’s third exhibition at Helsinki Contemporary, showcases a selection of his new tempera, oil and pastel paintings. 

Turunen is an intuitive painter who draws visual ideas from the subconscious. Volcanic eruptions, kissing lovers and centaurs are among the signature elements repeated in his latest exuberant exhibition.

The title, Tectonic Kiss, refers to a collision of tectonic or continental plates. Encounters and attempts to understand the Other are central themes running through Turunen’s exhibition, be they encounters between lips, tectonic plates or various kinds of creatures. 

For Turunen, the act of painting itself, the collision of colour and line, is a symbolic gesture that triggers shuddering shockwaves in the same manner as a tender kiss or a collision of continental plates.

Turunen’s visually rich body of work is a celebration of joy, pleasure and artistic freedom. The artist describes his process as a metaphoric “hole in one” gamble – risks must be taken, even if it potentially means wasting months of work.


Helsinki Contemporary

7.2.-9.3.2025

Wed-Fri 12.00-18.00

Sat-Sun 12.00-16.00

Free entry

Aki Turunen Tectonic Love 2024 oil on canvas 150 x 140 cm Photo Jussi Tiainen Courtesy of the artist and Helsinki Contemporary