The clarity and absolute expression in Essi Kuokkanen’s paintings is vivid, but upon closer inspection, it dissolves into multiple interpretations. Everyday objects appear as if seen through a distorting lens – people can change their form, lifeless things come alive and become human, landscapes look like sets, and spaces seem devoid of dimension. Within the paintings, everything is fluid yet firmly connected to the world we live in.

Underbelly presents paintings and drawings created during 2023. The exhibition’s title alludes to something hidden, a symbolically vulnerable and weak spot or the lower part of the body. It is also a metaphor for something breaking through the defenses. Psychological and moral complexity can be found within the actions of the characters depicted in Kuokkanen’s works. Conflicting emotions and intentions can coexist simultaneously: nurturing and rage, the desire for freedom and responsibility, fear and happiness.

In the world of the paintings, good intentions and actions can easily turn into cruelty and pain for the one being helped or for the helper themselves. Often, the artworks also offer the possibility of resistance or reveal underlying psychological tensions: a dog may decide to escape and bite its handler, and the wagging tail of a daydreaming dog doesn’t necessarily indicate only good-naturedness. In a recurring theme, the dog’s owner repeatedly throws their severed hand into the whirlwind of play, to be retrieved again and again by new dogs. The act of love is exaggerated and thoughtless, as if we don’t always understand ourselves, let alone the needs of our companion species.

Essi Kuokkanen (b. 1991 in Pieksämäki) is a visual artist based in Helsinki who graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in 2020. She is known for her strong and original paintings, which are guided by introspection, visual thinking and storytelling. The works of this ever-evolving artist are characterised by the presence of the subconscious and the physical, sensitivity, sympathy, and gentle humour.

Artist’s work is supported by Oskar Öflunds Stiftelse, the Finnish Art Society and the Arts Promotion Centre Finland. The exhibition is supported by the Finnish Heritage Agency.