Erkki Pirtola: Works on Paper

The exhibition that starts the fall season of HAM creates an overview of artist, critic and ITE art expert  Erkki Pirtola  (1950–2016)’s own artistic production. The exhibition focusing on Pirtola’s drawings and other paper-based works is curated by  Veikko Halmetoja .

Erkki Pirtola  (1950–2016) was a multidisciplinary visual artist who was also known as a writer and documentarian. Pirtola’s roots are in the Drawing Room of the University of Helsinki, where he studied in the early 1970s. According to his own words, drawing was the way of expression that he adopted best. 

The works on paper  exhibition brings together Pirtola’s drawings from throughout his career. Thousands of works and sketches have been reviewed for the exhibition. In addition to drawings, the collection also includes other works on paper such as collages and watercolors. 

The exhibition presents a sovereign draftsman, but it is also a picture of a time of innocence. It is an artist portrait of sincerity and a deeply human sense of humor, but also of a manic need for self-expression and documentation.  

The exhibition has been made in collaboration with Erkki Pirtola’s sons and it has been curated by  Veikko Halmetoja