Lea Karvala

Artist Statement

The year 2025 has been exceptionally international for me as an artist. My works have been invited to exhibitions and galleries across Europe, Japan, Latin America, and North America. Each exhibition deepens my dialogue with light, colour, and emotion — the core elements that define my artistic language.

Light and shadow are my constant companions. I am fascinated by how they interact, how one cannot exist without the other. Through this relationship, I seek to express the balance between joy and sorrow, movement and stillness, presence and absence. My paintings are created with acrylics, allowing me to capture both intensity and transparency in colour — much like the fleeting transitions of natural light.

After losing my husband in autumn 2025, painting became both solace and strength — a space where grief and gratitude coexist. My studio in Helsinki, at the Art Association Tapaus, has become a place where emotion takes form through layers of paint, texture, and reflection.

My recent international exhibitions include Spain (Art Nou 277, Monat Gallery, Madrid), Austria (Innsbruck Art Fair), France (Paris Art Fair), Canada and the USA (Artio Gallery), Brazil (BELA Biennale Rio de Janeiro), and Japan (AVA Gallery, Osaka). These encounters have shaped my perspective as an artist in dialogue with the world — always guided by light.

EDUCATION IN VISUAL ARTS

Various intensive art courses in Finland, Greece, Portugal, and Italy

• Studied under Carin Bengts, Mauri Villberg, and Samuli Heimonen in Finland and abroad
• Attended national summer art camps at Lappajärvi for several years, instructed by Ritva Lindberg and Elina Försti
• Completed numerous courses at Vantaa Adult Education Centre since 2011
  • Teachers: Mikko Bossa, Mauri Villberg, Tero Levo, Pekka Rytkönen
• Participated in various short courses organized by different art institutions
  • Teachers included Ulla Kuronen, Sirkka Tapio, Tapio Olenius, Tero Annanolli, and Vicky Maaranen

MEMBERSHIPS

• Board Member, Local Artists ry
• Member, Finnish Artists Association (Suomen Taiteilijat ry)
• Vice Chair, Art Association Tapaus ry
• Member, Helsinki Art Association (Helsingin Taideyhdistys ry)
• Founding Member, Kulttuurileijonat Lions Club

ARTISTIC STATEMENT

I love the interplay of light and shadow — their relationship fascinates me endlessly.
I often explore how light transforms colour and form. As an entrepreneur, I had the opportunity to visit both major and small art museums across Europe and the United States. Over time, I’ve learned to pause, observe, and marvel at what surrounds me.

EXHIBITIONS (Selected)

Invited Artist – BELA Biennale, Europe and Latin America 2024

• Centro Cultural Correiros, Rio de Janeiro (Nov–Dec 2023)
• Centro Cultural Niterói (Nov 2023–Jan 2024)
• Cassino Atlantico (Jan 2024)
• Centro Cultural Municipal Parque das Ruinas (Jan–Feb 2024)
• AVA Gallery Rio (Feb–Mar 2024)

Group Exhibitions 2010–2024

• Local Artists annual exhibitions in Italy, Greece, and Portugal (2010–2019)
• Annual exhibitions at Cable Factory, Helsinki (2014, 2019, 2024)
• Finnish Artists Association annual exhibitions (2017–2024)
• UKJ open jury exhibitions (2019–2024)
• UKJ 40th Anniversary Exhibition, Gumbostrand Konst & Form (Nov 2024–Jan 2025)

Highlights from 2024

• BELA Biennale Latin America and EU, Rio de Janeiro
• Finnish Artists Association Annual Exhibition, March
• Galleria Dromig, Helsinki Art Association Group Exhibition, March
• Art Association Tapaus “Spring’s Enchantment,” May
• Galleria 4-kuus, Helsinki, July–August
• Helsinki Art Association, Cable Factory, August–September
• Konstrundan Open Studios, September
• Habitare Fair with Helsinki Art Association, September
• Local Artists ry 15th Anniversary Exhibition, Cable Factory, September
• Helsinki Book Fair, October
• Gumbostrand Konst & Form, UKJ 40th Anniversary Exhibition, November–January
• “Nature at Rest,” Art Association Tapaus, November–December
• “Amoroso at Christmas Time,” Galleria Fogga, November–December

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

• Pisto Gallery, 2022
• Pikkurastas, 2022
• Art Association Tapaus Aula Gallery, October 2025

UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS 2025

• A+ Gallery, Helsinki – “Formless” (Feb–Mar 2025)
• Helsinki Art Association Online Exhibition (Mar 2025)
• Gallery Kookos, Helsinki – “Stop for a Moment” (Mar 2025)
• Finnish Artists Association – “Color Harmony,” Cable Factory, March–April 2025
• Pop-Up Exhibition, Tikkuri Shopping Centre, Vantaa (Mar 2025)
• Galleria 4-kuus, Helsinki – “Spring’s Charm,” March–April 2025
• Art Association Tapaus Aula Gallery, Helsinki – “Together Alone,” May 2025
• Galleria Fogga, Helsinki – “Our Changing Nature,” May–June 2025
• Meilahti Manor, Helsinki – “Alone and Together,” August 2025
• Strömfors Old House, Linda Doris Gallery, September 2025
• Local Artists ry, Söderkulla – Konstrundan and Habitare Fair, September 2025
• AVA Gallery, Varkaus, September 2025
• Tikkurila Library, Vantaa, October–November 2025
• Galleria 4-kuus, Helsinki, November–December 2025 (with Marja Saarikoski)

INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITIONS (Invited Artist)

• Monat Gallery, Madrid, Spain
• Paris Art Fair, France (May 2025)
• Innsbruck Art Fair, Austria (Oct 2025)
• Monat Gallery, Madrid ”Embers” 6-19.11.2025
• Featured in Monat Art Issue 3 and Artsper digital gallery (year-round)
• Art Nou 277 Gallery, Barcelona, Spain (July 2025) – 30 works selected for the digital exhibition
• Artio Gallery, Toronto & New York – participation in Women in Art Biennale, London (Sept 2025)
• Collaboration with Artio Gallery continues at
  • Carrousel du Louvre, Paris (April 2026)
  • European Museum of Modern Art, Barcelona (April 2026)
• AVA Gallery, Osaka, Japan (Sept–Oct 2025)
• BELA Biennale, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Nov–Dec 2025)