Maija Greta Kaartama Le Funzioni Vitali: Ritratti dell'Umanità

H.E. the Ambassador of the Republic of Finland, Matti Lassila, will be present.

We are delighted to present the first, highly anticipated solo exhibition of Finnish artist Maija Kaartama, an intense and penetrating pictorial exploration of our very essence. Kaartama's canvases do not merely depict the human form, but delve into its most intimate and spiritual dimension, transcending the boundaries of simple anatomy to touch the deep chords of our being.

This exhibition offers a space for silent contemplation, an invitation to confront the most ancient and universal questions: who are we truly? What does it mean to embody humanity, to be Homo sapiens, unrepeatable individuals yet an integral part of a vaster cosmic design, suspended in this ephemeral instant of the vital flow?

The very titles of the works – "Casa" (Home), "Consapevolezza" (Awareness), "Empatia" (Empathy), and "Penso" (I Think) – act as keys to this inner world, guiding us through representative and symbolic concepts.

Maija Kaartama invites us to cross the threshold of a pictorial universe of rare suggestion, where nature sheds its apparent otherness to reveal a surprising echo of our humanity. Her "landscapes that look like humans" do not translate into simple anthropomorphic figures, but into evocative visions in which the form, composition, and arrangement of natural elements trigger a powerful illusion of familiarity.

Before her canvases, mountains rise majestically like thinking busts, guardians of silent reflections. Sinuous valleys curve like quiet backs, carriers of stories whispered by the wind. Solitary trees reach towards the sky like arms outstretched in a gesture of contemplation, while tall, intensely red waves break onto the canvas as vibrant manifestations of awareness.

Through this unique visual language, Maija Kaartama transforms nature into a profound mirror of our inner selves. Her works reflect the complexity of our most intimate emotions, the resonance of our existential questions, and our intrinsic connection with the world around us. Each canvas thus becomes an invitation to contemplate the external landscape as a reflection of our inner landscape, a silent dialogue between the human soul and the soul of the world.

This exhibition, made possible thanks to the precious support of the Finnish Cultural Foundation and the Alice Kaira Foundation, stands in ideal continuity with the theme of "Identities" widely explored by Rossocinabro in the group exhibition of May 2025, now offering a monographic look at the singular vision of an artist capable of translating the most intimate nuances of being into painting.

We warmly invite you to immerse yourselves in the world of Maija Kaartama, an opportunity to question the mystery of being through the vibrant eloquence of painting.

(Cristina Madini Curator)

Maija Greta Kaartama (b. 1996, Helsinki) is a visual artist living and working between Finland and Italy.

Currently, her work focuses on painting.

Her first solo exhibition, Le Funzioni Vitali, will be held at Galleria Rossocinabro in Rome in May 2025. The exhibition is presented with the generous support of the Finnish Cultural Foundation and the Alice Kaira Foundation, both of which have chosen to support her as a young artist at the beginning of her career.

Alongside her work in fine arts, she is actively involved in design, with a particular focus on textiles and interior design.

In 2020, Maija founded Profondo Design Oy, a design company specializing in artistic tablecloths. 

Credit image: Intergenerational transmission of information (det.)by Maija Kaartama

https://rossocinabro.com/kaartama/