Artist & Curator based in Helsinki, Finland.
In my artistic practice painting is combined with contemplative meditation exercises and the use of intuitive knowledge.
I primarily create abstract paintings in oil and oil pastel, while also producing small-scale sculptures.
Painting is a journey for me, in which letting go of preconceptions and being fully present in the moment opens space for spontaneous expression and deeper self-knowledge. Meditation practices have been part of my daily life for years, and their influence is visible both in the process and in the outcomes. My works emerge from the interaction of tacit knowledge, sensory perception, significance of not-knowing and the surrounding environments.
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![Artist Satu Metsola's abstract and colourful oil painting named I call You a Bird, 2026]()
I Call You a Bird. Oil on canvas, 2026
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![Finnish artist Satu Metsola's abstract ceramic sculpture which name is Rest as a Bird]()
Rest as a Bird. Ceramic sculpture, 2024-25
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![Finnish artist Satu Metsola's abstract ceramic sculpture called The Goddess of the Two Horizons]()
The Goddess of the Two Horizons. Ceramic sculpture, 2024-25
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![Finnish artist Satu Metsola's abstract oil stick painting Androsia]()
Androsia 1 & 2. Sennelier oil stick on board. 2026
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![Finnish artist Satu Metsola's small sculpture made of clay and beeswax pictured outdoors in Greece]()
Unseen Mountain 1. Mixed media sculpture (clay and beeswax), 2026
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![Finnish artist Satu Metsola's abstract and colourful oil painting]()
Sister Moon. Oil on canvas, 2025
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![Finnish artist Satu Metsola's oil pastel painting from the Series the Island Comes, the Island Goes]()
Only a Feather Floating, from the oil pastel series The Island Comes, the Island Goes. 2025
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![Finnish artist Satu Metsola's abstract oil painting]()
My Cat in the Sun thinks like a Mountain. Oil on canvas, 2024.
Androck I, II & III. Sennelier oil stick on canvas. 60 × 90 cm each. 2026. Photos: George Chiristanidis.
The artists of the Amalia Gardens Residency approached the nature of Andros as a living archive of memory, where stone, dried flowers, aromatic plants, and traces of human presence come together to form a new herbarium. During June 2026, Amalia Gardens Non-profit Civil Company launched its third artist residency, entitled “Xiranthoi, Rooted in Stone: The Herbarium of the Aegean”, bringing together seven artists on the island of Andros. Sergej Andreevski (Skopje), Alexis Avlamis (Athens – Kefalonia), Nikos Kaskouras (Athens), Chrysa Liarmakopoulou (Athens – Andros), Satu Metsola (Helsinki), Nikola Pijanmanov (Strumica) and Maria Todeschini (Venice) explored the island’s natural landscape and flora, creating new works of art that reimagine the idea of a herbarium of the future through their research and residency at Amalia Gardens Residency in Vitali, Andros.
Upcoming exhibition:
“Xiranthoi, Rooted in Stone: The Herbarium of the Aegean”
Batsi Cultural Centre, Batsi, Andros, Greece Exhibition Dates: 1–30 AUGUST 2026
The Andros Series
Unseen Mountain 1 & 2. Mixed media (clay, wax). 2026. 20 × 14 × 12 cm / 16 × 15 × 10 cm
Androsia 1 & 2. Sennelier oil stick on board. 2025. 30 × 24 cm each. Photos: George Chiristanidis.
I Call You a Bird. Oil on canvas. 2026. 80 × 60 cm.
The Island Comes, The Island Goes
In addition to standing in front of the canvas, I practice meditation in nature. Walking or sitting on a rock, where inanimate things, such as trees, stones, water and wind can create a sense of connection and open a non-verbal dialogue with other species and with the unknown. In my paintings, nature is always present as an element; it enters by way of reference, as a current, a spring, a stream, the open sea. I am fascinated by nature in its beauty, and I am learning to listen to its alluring, soothing, and unpredictable language. The paintings however are abstract, and there is no need to see or experience them in any particular way.
In my work, the ability to pause, intuitive observation, and disciplined routine are central. I believe that creativity arises when the artist dares to be present with the work without fixed goals and allows intuition to guide the process. In this way, a space is created in which the work can grow freely and begin to guide itself. Intuition lies at the core of my practice: it directs the movement of the hand, the choices, and the decisions that I cannot always explain through reason.
From the Series The Island Comes, The Island Goes. Oil pastel on Hahnemühle Ingres paper, 24 x 31 cm each. 2025.
The island Comes, The island Goes is a series of oil pastel paintings, which were created in the Korppoo archipelago and in Helsinki. The series does not progress chronologically; rather, it is a weave of experienced connection between humanity and nature, as part of a larger whole, at the threshold of letting go and new beginnings. The series consists of sixteen oil pastel paintings and lyrical texts that have taken shape simultaneously alongside the paintings.
The series started during the EcoSenda residency “Affective Arrangements” on the island of Korppoo, Finland, September 2025. EcoSenda Network: Royal Academy Den Haag, Estonian Academy of Arts, Turku Arts Academy, Academy of Media Arts Cologne.
Like a black moon you come over me
You grow angry at the avian song
The mirror that shatters everything
The swans leave from me
A new ritual
The eclipse we did not see
Two moons being
A pond of two stones
Only a feather floating
Where do the birds go?
The island comes
The island goes
Let the words wait
Installation view, Galleria Dromig Helsinki, March 2025
Goddess of the Two Horizons, 2024–2025, ceramic sculpture, 20 x 13 cm
Contemporary dance performance FOOTNOTES #3. Coreographer Favela Vera Ortiz, dancer Laura Lehtinen, artworks Satu Metsola at Galleria Dromig in Helsinki. March 2025.
The Shawoman series originated from an earlier body of ceramic figurative sculptures modelled from the nude. The subsequent sculptures were created from memories of the human body, but I have listened to the clay and allowed it to take the form it wanted. The sculptures in this series are meant to be viewed from every angle, as they transform their appearance depending on the viewer's perspective. "Shawoman III", 2024, 28 x 12 cm & "Goddess of the Two Horizons", 2024–2025, ceramic sculpture, 20 x 13 cm
Rest as a Bird. 2024–2025, ceramic sculpture, 20 x 13 cm
Rest as a Bird. 2024–2025, ceramic sculpture, 20 x 13 cm
The Queen's Bed. 2025. Oil on canvas. 60 x 80 cm
Until We Meet Again. 2025. Oil on canvas. 50 x 70 cm.
Finnish artist Satu Metsola is seen with her artwork titled "Until We Meet Again", showcased during the London Fashion Week official schedule September 2025 opening evening event Fashion Crossover London Presents: The World Gallery on September 21, 2025, in London, England. Photo by Nicky J Sims/Getty Images.
Satu Metsola's artwork titled "Until We Meet Again" showcased at London Fashion Week official schedule September 2025 opening evening event Fashion Crossover London Presents: The World Gallery on September 21, 2025, in London, England. (Photo by Nicky J Sims/Getty Images for Fashion Crossover London)
Installation view, Galleria Dromig Helsinki, March 2025
My Cat in the Sun Thinking Like a Mountain, 2024. Oil on canvas. 70 x 50 cm. Private collection.
Late Blooming. 2025. Oil on canvas. 80 x 60 cm.
Kind of a Comedy. Oil on canvas, 2024. 50x40 cm.
Sister Moon. 2025. Oil on canvas. 80 x 50 cm. Private collection.
Mountain Mover, 2024. Oil on canvas. 70 x 50 cm. Private collection.
Dew, Summernight Song. Oil on canvas, 2024. 110 x 160 cm. Private Collection.
Flowing (small pioneer island). Oil on canvas, 2023. 73 x 92 cm.
In the midst of your sorrow you did not notice how you watered the empty ground. Oil on canvas, 2024. 50x40 cm.
This I Have Written to You. Oil on canvas 2024. 81 x 65 cm.
I have left. Oil on canvas, 2024. 50x40 cm.
Please contact me directly for projects or to inquire about purchasing my work.
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About: C
Now:
Meilahden Taidepäivystys “Tuntematon”
24.7. - 9.8.2026 Stogis Galleria, Tukholmankatu 10, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
Galleria on avoinna pe–su klo 13–18.
Upcoming:
“Xiranthoi, Rooted in Stone: The Herbarium of the Aegean”
Batsi Cultural Centre, Batsi, Andros, Greece
1. – 30.8. 2026
Opening: 1 August, 8:00 PM
Opening Hours: Tuesday–Friday, 7:00–10:00 PM, Saturday & Sunday, 11:00 AM–1:00 PM and 7:00–10:00 PM, Closed on Mondays.
https://amaliagardens.gr/en/gallery/2026
Avoimen taidekoulun Syyssalonki 2026
21.8. – 6.9. 2026 Avajaiset Taiteiden yönä torstaina 20.8. klo 16-18
Vanha Talvitie 9, 00580 Helsinki
Konstrundan 5.–6.9.2026
Welcome to visit me in my studio
https://www.konstrundan.fi/fi/ateljeet/view-152142-3844
Recent shows:
Meilahden Taidepäivystys “Luonnoton”, 3.-19.7.2026 Stogis Galleria, Helsinki
OLEMUS, Köysiratagalleria, Turku
27.11.-7.12.2025
Fashion Crossover London presents The World gallery - Fashion Show, officially listed under London Fashion Week September, London UK 2025
Solo exhibition “Ajattele kuin vuori” Galleria Dromig, Helsinki 3.3.-29.3.2025
Solo exhibition “Menkäämme lähteelle”, Galleria Uusi Kipinä, Lahti 15.1.-2.2.2025
Featured in the British VOGUE Magazine July 2024, on the page Vogue’s Gallery
Featured in the British VOGUE Magazine June 2024, on the page Vogue’s Gallery
Featured in the British VOGUE Magazine May 2024, on the page Vogue’s Gallery
Korppoo 2025. Photo: Johanna Kiiskinen.
From the series Let's Go to the Source. Oil pastel on paper, 2024. 72 x 104 cm.
From the series Let's Go to the Source. Spring. Oil pastel on paper, 2023. 72 x 104 cm.
From the series Let's Go to the Source. Oil pastel on paper, 2024. 72 x 104 cm.
From the series Let's Go to the Source. Oil pastel on paper, 2024. 72 x 104 cm.
From the series Let's Go to the Source: The Eye That Sees and Does Not See II. Oil pastel on paper, 2023. 72 x 104 cm.
The Sounds I Heard One Day. Oil pastel on paper, 2021.
Mandorla. Oil pastel on paper, 2022. 48 x 63 cm.
We Are. Oil on canvas, 2022. 92 x 73 cm.
Before You Fall Asleep, You Think of Me. Oil on canvas, 2022. 73 x 92 cm.