Karin Hellman’s oeuvre encompasses an extensive range of themes. Deeply attuned to the phenomena of her time, she often referenced world events in the subjects and titles of her works. Her themes also reflect an enduring interest in history, ancient myths, and visions of the future. Classical myths, Scandinavian mythology, and Biblical stories are juxtaposed in her art with imagery from prehistoric cave paintings. 

She also explored more mundane as well as abstract subjects, which she imbued with a fantastical quality, echoing the mythological elements of her work. However, one of the most significant aspects of Hellman’s art was her focus on the materials themselves, which often became central to her creative expression. 

Karin Hellman’s early output, spanning the 1930s to the 1950s, consisted primarily of paintings. These works reveal her interest in diverse subjects, including still life, portraits, and interior scenes. She also explored themes popular at the time, such as the world of circus, which fascinated many Finnish artists. An example of that is her 1939 painting Clown. 

In her still lifes, Hellman often depicted everyday objects, such as flowers in a vase. These subjects allowed her to experiment with composition and colour. She sometimes flattened the shapes of objects, a compositional approach influenced by Cubism, which sought to simplify and deconstruct subjects in innovative ways.

From the late 1950s onwards, Karin Hellman began exploring new materials in her work. Moving away from traditional painting, she increasingly employed collage techniques, sewing and gluing various materials into her artworks. Due to the experimental nature of her methods and the fragililty of the materials, her works are particularly susceptible to environmental stressors such as light exposure. 

 Hellman’s collages often incorporated materials from everyday domestic life. Rugs, fabric scraps, and knitted pieces frequently found their way onto her canvases. Discarded objects, such as the lenses of old glasses and rusty bolts, also became incorporated into her works. This connection to the Arte Povera movement underscores her innovative use of humble, everyday materials. Despite this shift, Hellman did not entirely abandon traditional techniques, as some collage pieces also feature drawing and painting. 

Drawing inspiration from myths and distant history, Karin Hellman frequently depicted a variety of symbols in her work, with the spiral being the most prominent. This motif appears consistently in her art from the 1960s onwards. In many pieces, the spiral takes centre stage, while in others, it recurs abundantly as a significant detail. 

This ancient symbol is associated with cycles and the rhythms of life. In Hellman’s work, the spiral is intertwined with a wide range of themes. In works connected to nature and history, it can be seen to symbolise a balanced cycle. Conversely, in works addressing the threats of war and rapid technological progress, the spiral can evoke a sense of uncontrolled development. Hellman also placed great importance on the history of the materials she used, incorporating old family garments into her pieces. This practice can also be seen to reflect broader themes of circulation and continuity. 

On 21 August 1968, Karin Hellman listened to a live radio broadcast from Prague, Czechoslovakia. The reporter described the Soviet invasion of the city, during which tanks violently suppressed the liberation movement known as the Prague Spring. Hellman created Assault Vehicle 2181968, capturing the brutality of these events as she heard them unfold. This artwork became a deeply personal anti-war statement for Hellman, who later donated it to the Amos Anderson Art Museum to ensure its preservation for future generations. 

The painting The Dance of Death in Our Time, AD 2000 reflects Karin Hellman’s contemplations on mortality and the fragility of humanity. It depicts two skeletal figures reaching towards a spinning spiral. While the theme is timeless, it can also be seen as a social commentary on Cold War –era fears of nuclear weapons. The spiral, a recurring motif in Hellman’s work, symbolises the cycle of life and death and their inseparable connection – here evoking the uncontrollable forces of destruction. 

Girl and Rooster is Karin Hellman’s first textile collage. While she began creating fabric artworks in the 1950s, these were not exhibited until the following decade. Hellman revisited the subject in 1983, creating a painting of the same name that closely mirrors the earlier textile piece. Despite the different techniques, both works share similar details. The horned, bull-like figures beneath the rooster in Girl and Rooster appear in several of Hellman’s works throughout her career. 

Hellman believed that reused materials possessed a unique beauty, enhanced further by their inclusion in artworks. In Grey Portrait, a drawn face on paper – likely a self-portrait of the artist – forms the focal point. The drawing is combined with tulle, lace, and fabric scraps, all glued to the background. Over time, the adhesive has aged significantly. Once transparent, it has discoloured, causing parts of the textile materials to turn brown. 

On the reverse side of In the Marquis’s Garden‚ a handwritten note by the artist offers insight into its background and creation. According to Hellman’s annotation, she was inspired by the ruins of the Château de Lacoste in Provence, France, once owned by the writer Marquis de Sade. A stone taken from the ruins and incorporated into the artwork further connects it to this location. The Hellman family spent extended periods in the Lacoste area, purchasing a modest house there in 1964. 

The title of this small collage, In Närpes, refers to a town in the Ostrobothnia region of Finland. The artwork features two human faces with the letters P and M on their foreheads. While the significance of these letters is not explicitly stated, they may refer to the Swedish words pappa (father) and mamma (mother). The background is made from a red woven fabric originally produced for the Närpes national costume. The Hellman family admired the fabric and ordered a large quantity, which Hellman used as a detail in several works. She also had a suit tailored from the same fabric, which is displayed in the exhibition.

Initially, Hellman envisioned The Last Sunset as a depiction of the sun setting on the horizon. However, as the work progressed, its focus shifted. The piece became a powerful anti-war statement, portraying the mushroom cloud of a nuclear explosion. It alludes to the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II, as well as the nuclear tests conducted until the 1990s. A circular hole in the mushroom cloud symbolises the void left by a nuclear explosion. It can be seen as representing emptiness and the end of everything. 

This large-scale collage, one of Hellman’s most significant works, draws inspiration from Norse mythology. According to ancient tales, the sun traverses the sky in a chariot. The sun chariot motif also appears in archaeological artefacts, often featuring the spiral shape familiar in Hellman’s works. The visual language of The Sun Chariot is rich, blending representational elements with a foundation of abstract geometric forms. 

Hellman enjoyed exploring ancient myths, in which the sun and oxen feature prominently. The ancient Greek epic Odyssey mentions the sun god Helios and his cattle of oxen. In Egyptian mythology, the bull was the embodiment of the sun god Ra. In Minoan culture on the island of Crete, myths tell of the Minotaur – a creature half-bull, half-human. In Hellman’s work The Sun’s Oxen, the bull figures adopt human-like characteristics. Her inspiration for the bull motif also stemmed from visits to prehistoric cave paintings in Lascaux, France, and Altamira, Spain, in the 1950s. 

This artwork exemplifies Hellman’s innovative use of textiles to create her imagery. The piece is composed of fabric scraps, pieces of carpet, and yarns, all assembled with glue. Tree was one of the works exhibited at the São Paulo Biennial in 1967, as noted on the information label attached to its reverse. Other works shown in São Paulo included The Sun Chariot and the works Eve’s Eye and Adam’s Eye, both of which are featured in this exhibition. 

Karin Hellman, deeply fascinated by archaeology, is known to have created three works inspired by the Venus of Willendorf, a small 30,000-year-old figurine of a nude female. In one of the exhibited works, Venus is placed at the centre of a spiral, while in another, she is surrounded by layered circles. Hellman viewed Venus as a potent symbol and even composed a poem celebrating her as a maternal figure and bearer of life. Drawing inspiration from ancient myths and mother goddess cults, Hellman explored the cyclical forces of life and death. The spiral and circles represent the layers of time that separate the present from history.

The Wheel of Fortune is an emblem associated with the goddess of fortune in ancient mythology, representing the capricious nature of fate and the unpredictability of life. The title of the piece, The Wheel of Fortune, references the tarot card of the same name, and its vertical shape resembles a playing card. Central to the composition are metal objects, discovered near Hellman’s home by her daughter during dog walks. Most of these objects are rusty and intrinsically worthless. Despite the Wheel of Fortune has the power to grant great riches, the artwork has a stripped-down, unadorned appearance. Hellman enhanced the painted surfaces using the sgraffito technique, which involves scratching patterns through layers of paint. 

Curator
Tuomas Laulainen, Henna Paunu

Project management
Pernilla Wiik

Graphic design and visual identity
Päivi Helander, Aziza Lo

Technical design and construction
Anders Bergman, Jenni Enbom, Miika Kyyrö, Lasse Naukkarinen, Jari Rönkkö, Kari Siltala, Samppa Törmälehto

Lighting
Lasse Lindfors, Jenni Salovaara

Conservation
Saara Peisa, Taina Leppilahti, Saana Lopes, Viivi Vierinen

Framing
Seppo Laakkonen

Registration
Jenni Enbom, Mereca Victorzon

Exhibition texts
Laura Eweis, Tuomas Laulainen, Emma Lilja, Henna Paunu, Nanne Raivio

Editing of the publication
Emma Lilja

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Nanne Raivio, Helmi Tolonen

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Reetta Kalajo, Nanne Raivio

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Riikka Alanko

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Maria Innola

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Ari Karttunen, Lilja Oey

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Translations
Ditte Kronström (Swedish), Simo Vassinen (English)