Essu Koskinen: Sweet Escape

Essu Koskinenʼs new exhibition Sweet Escape presents oil paintings in which everyday animals, flowers, and mushrooms become part of a dreamlike and poetic world. On view at Galleria Aarni from 2–27 September 2026, the exhibition creates spaces where the real and the imagined overlap, and where the chicken assumes a new role — not as a commodity, but as an individual, a caregiver, and an active participant in its own world.

In Koskinenʼs paintings, humans, animals, and vegetation intertwine. Nests, petals, mushrooms, and feathers recur throughout the imagery as symbols of nature’s cycles, fragility, and interconnectedness, yet the works do not offer a single correct interpretation. Sweet Escape constructs a world in which sensitivity, transformation, and imagination are given space to flourish.

″I portray chickens as colourful, fairy-tale-like, and mysterious figures. To me, they are individuals through whom it is also possible to reflect on the human relationship with nature, care, and other living beings. It is fascinating to see what kinds of thoughts and interpretations they evoke in viewers,″ says Koskinen.

In Koskinenʼs distinctive painterly language, visible brushwork and the layered quality of paint form an essential part of the expression. Strong colour contrasts, organic forms, and a free, expressive handling of paint create an atmosphere in which recognisable imagery and the materiality of painting coexist side by side. Sweet Escape invites viewers to slow down, look more closely, and encounter familiar beings with new eyes.

Free entrance