Human Destinies in the Wasteland

Viljami Heinonen, Outskirts, 2024, oil on canvas. Photo: Serlachius, Sampo Linkoneva

Eeva Ilveskoski

Eeva Ilveskoski, September 2025Curator Eeva Ilveskoski opens up the world of Viljami Heinonen’s art, where raincoat-clad figures, dystopian landscapes, and the aesthetics of rough beauty intertwine. Ilveskoski examines Heinonen’s works through the concept of liminality – as a place, a state of mind, and an artistic starting point.

At the heart of Viljami Heinonen’s exhibition Somewhere in Between are people and their encounters. His new paintings draw directly on the artist’s lived experience. Since 2023, a recurring figure has haunted Heinonen’s canvases: a hooded wanderer in a raincoat, often absorbed in silent contemplation of his existence. In the works he also meets others like himself. Who is this yellow-clad wanderer, and whom does he encounter?

Viljami Heinonen’s Somewhere in Between is on view at Serlachius from 13 September 2025 to 30 August 2026.