Electric energy meets vulnerable sensibility in the latest paintings by Ville Kylätasku (b. 1979). The exhibition was inspired by rave culture and the clubs of Berlin: Kylätasku’s neon colors glimmer like strobe lights on a dance floor, shining like glossy plastic, accentuating a palette laced by heavy blacks and matte whites, each canvas radiating its own gleaming aura. In his personal retake on Action Painting, Kylätasku pushes his technique in a more expressionistic direction. The airy paintings collectively transform the gallery into a self-contained narrative space in which the canvases engage in both two-way dialogues and also in a broader conversation pulling together the entire group of works.

Painted on sheets of PVC, Kylätasku’s paintings have an immaterial, well-nigh metaphysical quality. His work is inspired by his personal philosophy embracing the positive emotions invoked by art. The artist believes that society is on the brink of a spiritual revolution that will transform humanity in unprecedented ways. Feeling that we focus too much energy on external realities, the artist strives to redirect our attention toward our inner world. His work ponders perennial issues such as the challenge of confronting and accepting oneself: the artist sees life as a self-invented illusion with the ultimate goal of self-discovery. After that moment of self-enlightenment is attained, he believes that we become genuinely good human beings, albeit that everything ultimately begins and ends with a mystery.

In addition to studying art, Kylätasku studied design at the Lahti University of Applied Sciences, which inspired his long-term explorative interest in experimenting with various materials. His work is represented in collections including the Artists’ Association of Finland and the Kuntsi Museum of Modern Art as well as numerous private collections around the world. The artist lives and works in Berlin.