Ville Laaksonen (born 1978) is a visual artist, curator and critic working in Turku and Helsinki, Finland. He’s contemporary esoteric works open gates, doors and windows to visualise heaven and hell on earth - and an aesthetic view on life through the vision of an idealist in beauty. Embracing spirituality life reveals its significance in its unique and delicate ways.
Laaksonen was stipendiate for the Union of Finnish Art Associations 2012 and exhibited in Varkaus Art Museum. At the same time Laaksonen had also been invited to exhibit in Artchapel, Turku and nominated as the curator for the Paulo Foundation Annual 2012. Laaksonen works actively on Finnish art scene and he has worked on several trusted positions. He is a member of Helsinki and Turku artists associations, Arte organisation and SKY, The Finnish Society for Curators. Laaksonen has exhibited in several solo and museum exhibitions.
STUDIES
2014- MA, Art & Curating - Finnish Academy of Fine Arts
2009 MA, Art & Pedagogy - Aalto University School of Arts
2002 BA, Art History - University of Turku
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2015 New-New-Age – Gallery Mältinranta, Tampere (coming)
2013 Ville Väri: Dead (Art) - Gallery G12, Helsinki
2013 Living Art Trilogy: Belief - Gallery Å, Turku
2013 Living Art Trilogy: Live - Black Wall Gallery, Vaasa
2013 Living Art Trilogy: Life - Gallery Napa/Studio Mustanapa, Rovanniemi
2012 Fourth Dimension - (invited), Artchapel, Turku
2012 Third Eye - Stipendiate of Union of Finnish Art Associations, Museum of Varkaus, Varkaus
2011 The Other - Kapriisi Gallery, Tampere
2011 One - Katariina Gallery, Helsinki
2011 Idealist Trilogy: Love - Maaret Finnberg Gallery, Turku
2010 Idealist Trilogy: Hope - Poriginal Gallery, Pori
2010 Idealist Trilogy: Faith - Saskia Gallery, Tampere
2009 Time - Nefret Gallery, Turku
2006 Googles - KlubiGallery, Turku
CURATORIAL EXHIBITIONS & PROJECTS
2015 Wunderkammer, Gallery Huuto, Helsinki (coming)
2015 Praxis-exhibition – Collaborative curating , Exhibition Laboratory, Helsinki (coming)
2015 Love Buzz II / Mobile Gallery, Turku (coming ± Henna Aho) (coming)
2015 Public Paper @ Vallila, public art, Helsinki (coming)
2015- AltoGame Virtual Gallery – 3D virtualgallery (gallerist/curator)
2014-15 Arteground Scandinavia - group (curator)
2013 Love Buzz / Car Peace – Public artwork (± Henna Aho)
2012 Certainty Precedes The End - Annual of Paulo Foundation, Gallery FAFA, Helsinki
2010 Fast Art? - groupexhibition, Factory Superstars Art Fair, Cable Factory, Helsinki
2010 Holy Doom - groupexhibition, Gallery Maaret Finnberg, Turku
2009 Course of Art - groupexhibition, Gallery Nefret, Turku
2008-09 KlubiGallery - alternative & underground galleryproject, Turku (curator)
SELECTED INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITIONS
2016 Gallerie Pleiku, Berlin, Germany (coming ± Henna Aho)
2015 Gallerie TOOLBOX, Berlin, Germany (coming ± Henna Aho)
2015 Truth = Happiness? - Arteground Group, Gallery Stenhallen, Öland, Sweden (coming)
2015 Örebro OpenART, groupinstallation, Örebro, Sweden (coming)
2014 4th Baltic Biennale - St. Petersburg, Russia
2014 New Painting from Finland and Sweden - group exhibition, Jaus Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
2013 Waiting for the Expo - group exhibition, Gallery ArtMeet, Milan, Italy
2013 Pataphysische Topologien - Pataphysisches Institut Basel (PIB), Basel, Switzerland (± Henna Aho)
2007 Goldener Kentaur - competition, Kuenstlerhaus, Munich, Germany
2007 Ahne 5 - group exhibition, Tallinn, Estonia
SELECTED JOINED EXHIBITIONS AND PROJECTS
2015 Gallery Kone, Hämeenlinna (coming ± Henna Aho)
2014 Running With Scissors / Electric Fingertips - Gallery Aarni, Espoo (± Henna Aho)
2014 Anthems Of Reality Principle - Gallery Rajatila, Tampere (± Henna Aho)
2013 Turu Väri: Love, I’m 24 hours Open for you - Gallery Pihatto, Lappeenranta (± Henna Aho)
2012 Turu Väri: The Bigger Picture - LOGOMO, Turku (± Henna Aho)
2011 Honest Painters: Let The Picture Come - Gallery G12, Kuopio (± Sami Korkiakoski)
2011 This is Not RuSSSia - Installation, ArtShortCut ArtSpace, Helsinki (± Sebastian Ziegler)
2007 This is Not AmeriKKKa - performance & public artwork, Patarei, Tallinna. (± Artturi Elovirta)
2006 Honest Painters: Importance of Being Ernest - Poriginal, Pori (± Sami Korkiakoski)
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS AND COMPETITIONS
2015 Exhibiting Painting – Exhibition Laboratory, Helsinki
2014 Flow - Annual of Turku Artists’ Association, Gallery Å, Turku & Gallery 5, Oulu
2013 Greatest of All is Love? - Wainö Aaltonen Museum (WAM), Turku. (± Henna Aho)
2013 Companions - Annual of Salo artists association (invited), Salo
2012 War or Peace? - Museum of Etelä-Karjala, Lappeenranta
2012 One Party! - Wäinö Aaltonen Museum (WAM), Turku
2011 Now! - Biennale of Helsinki Artist Association ́11, Kanneltalo gallery, Helsinki
2011 Billnäs Young Artists’ - competition, Gallery Uusitalo, Billnäs
2011 Summer Exhibition - Artcenter Salmela, Mäntyharju
2011 Dream Images - Saarijärvi Museum, Saarijärvi
2004 Art Of Basware - competition, Sanomatalo, Helsinki
2004 Yellow Art II - competition, Gallery Purkamo, Cable Factory, Helsinki
PRIZES
2012 Stipendiate of Union of Finnish Art Associations
2011 Curator of Annual of Paulo Foundation
ARTIST IN RESIDENCY
2014 Schleutker Foundation - Ghiffa, Italy
2013-14 Aboa Vetus & Ars Nova Museum - Turku, Finland
2013 Arts Promotion Centre Finland - Genoa, Italy
2012 Sfakiotes - Lefkada, Creece
2011 Art Centre Salmela - Mäntyharju, Finland
2010 Rooftop studios - Berlin, Germany
SELECTED COLLECTIONS AND PUBLIC WORKS
Wäinö Aaltonen Museum, Turku
Aboa Vetus & Ars Nova, Matti Koivurinta Foundation, Turku
Åbo Akademie, Tritonia, Vaasa
Artcenter Salmela
Mäntyharju Municipality
Patarei Culturepark, Tallinn, Estonia
Several private and company collections in Finland, Estonia, Denmark, Italy, USA and Saudi-Arabia
MEMBERSHIPS
& TRUSTED POSITIONS
Finnish Painters’ Union (Full Member)
The Finnish Society for Curators, SKY
Helsinki Artists Association
Turku Artists Association
Arte ry
2015 - Arte ry & Titanik Gallery – Chairman
2011-13 The Finnish Society for Curators, SKY - boardmember
2011- Mustekala.info – critic (http://www.mustekala.info/)
2010-11 Finnish Painters’ Union – boardmember
