Hertta Puhakka ^{Emerging artist}

Artist is based in: Finland

Hertta Puhakka was a fourth-year bachelor’s student at the University of the Arts Helsinki in 2026. Her work was exhibited in the Sculpture Department’s exhibition Inventarium and in the University of the Arts Helsinki’s 2026 BFA Exhibition. Her works are part of the University of the Arts Helsinki’s art collection and are permanently displayed in the university courtyard, as well as at Alfons Pizza, Vuorimiehenkatu 35, Helsinki.

Puhakka’s practice is rooted in her observations of the world, the materials available to her, and a hands-on approach to making. Her sculptures are figurative, explore the human condition, and are often characterised by a joyful and playful atmosphere. They draw inspiration from fairy tales, theatre, and everyday observations.

She values traditional sculptural methods while also working with found and recycled materials, primarily scrap metal. She collects sheet metal from the city, then cuts and welds it. In her metal reliefs, materials familiar from urban landscapes and construction sites become part of imagined scenery, transformed into flowers on a windowsill or corrugated-metal clouds drifting across a blue sky.