You have arrived.
Elli Maanpää’s surname means basically the same thing as her home country: Finland. Maanpää can be translated as “the end of the earth” or “the head of the world.” And Finland? It’s quite literally the Finnish line of land.
So wherever you came from, you’ve made it here. Right now, right here—this is where you’re meant to be.
Paintings by Elli Maanpää between 2024-2025. "A hug can be radical. Play can be political."
Artist Statement
"I paint people. I paint care. I paint delight.
My paintings explore connection, touch, and emotional presence. Figures appear in movement or stillness, in play or embrace. They float, dance, lean in. Arms wrap, cheeks press, eyes close. There is softness. There is charge.
The palette is warm — flooded with pinks, oranges, yellows — interrupted by a cool breath of blue. Forms overlap like thoughts, memories, or sensations. Each painting is both a moment and a mood.
My work lives somewhere between the illustrative and fauvist. It is tender but relaxed. My paintings have been shown in hospitals, psychiatric wards, and service homes—spaces where presence is urgent. In these settings, art becomes part of care.
But care is not passive. A hug can be radical. Play can be political.
I see softness as power."
– Elli Maanpää
Artist Bio
Elli Maanpää is a Finnish contemporary painter and multidisciplinary visual artist working at the intersection of fine art, illustration, and storytelling. She holds a Master’s degree in Visual Culture and Contemporary Art from Aalto University, a Bachelor’s degree in Animation from Turku Arts Academy and in Fashion from Aalto University.
Her work has been exhibited widely in Finland, including solo shows at P-galleria in Pori, B-galleria in Turku, and Vanha Paukku in Lapua. Maanpää’s paintings are part of public art collections and have been featured in hospitals and service homes.
She has received grants from the Arts Promotion Centre Finland and the Finnish Illustration Association, and contributed to the HELENE20 hospital art project.
Elli Maanpää, a Finnish contemporary artist, in her studio in Helsinki, Finland.
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