Hanna Kanto

Hanna Kanto was born in Northern Finland and have worked as a visual artist in the Nordic region since 2008. Living in the North is an essential part of her personality, it fused with her creative process and became the foundation of her art.

Kanto draws inspiration from the rugged landscape and traditional culture of her Northern homeland. A significant reference point in her art is a minimalistic and inhospitable image of northern areas. Her paintings are carefully considered, frugal landscapes that feature an intense ambiance. In the middle of the haze and ambiguity, precise details bring an essential contrast, often forming the arc of a story. 

It is not only observation but hands-on experience through Kanto’s participation in the local life of resilient people. Kanto positions herself in the landscape, exploring and studying how is it to live and dwell as a woman in the North. That forms a cornerstone of her art. A concern for the disappearing and unique cultural environment. In her practice, Kanto criticizes the changes reshaping Lapland and the short-sightedness of people’s actions.

Kanto’s work consists mainly of acrylic and oil paintings, changing on occasion to installations and video art. She uses the medium of painting in diverse and experimental ways disturbing techniques of acrylic and oil paint with an airbrush. The sense of texture and surfaces, of alternately wet, thick and thin strokes, are the base of her practice. Kanto builds layer by layer, expanding the tension of content, and develops the structural forms of the picture.

Kanto studied Fine Arts in Finland and in Spain. Her works were shown internationally in solo and group exhibitions and commissioned by art collections. She is an awardee of local and international scholarships and prizes. Kanto received nominations to attend various residency programs. Recently in Reykjavik, Sapporo and New York. In 2015 she was distinguished with a 3-year working grant from Finnish Cultural Foundation.