SCULPTED PAINTINGS by Pauno Pohjolainen

Pauno Pohjolainen is known for his massive wood reliefs and sculptures. Over decades, medieval wood sculptures, orthodox icons as well as the Russian avant-garde have influenced his characteristic style. Originally Pohjolainen studied to become a painter and he uses both paintbrushes and chisels as his tools. The carvings on the wood function like brush strokes. The works exhibited in Sculptor are from 2016 and 2017.

Pauno Pohjolainen received the Ars Fennica Award in 1997 and the Pro Finlandia Medal in 2005. Among other acknowledgements he has received the Anita Snellman Foundation Prize in 2015, The Lutheran Culture Foundation’s Prize in 2015, Visual Art Prize from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland in 1989 and the Ducat Prize of the Finnish Art Society in 1983. His works are part of the most important Finnish art collections owned by Kiasma, Helsinki Art Museum, Turku Art Museum, Amos Anderson Art Museum, Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation and Saastamoinen Foundation.

The artist lives and works in Kuopio.