In Kalervo Palsa’s World

Kalervo Palsa (1947–1987) was something of a maverick on the Finnish art scene. He lived in Kittilä, in the remote north of Finland, and worked in a humble outbuilding he named “Gethsemane”. There, he painted and drew with feverish intensity, spending his entire life searching for his place in the art world.

Throughout his extensive body of work, Palsa explored universal themes such as loneliness, death, sexuality, class, double standards, intoxicants, and life in the remote north. The exhibition asks: how does Palsa’s legacy continue to resonate in contemporary art? Palsa’s works are shown alongside pieces by artists including Edith Hammar, Siiri Haarla, Jukka Korkeila, and Ville Vuorenmaa.