Mäkinen uses a self-invented cutting and gluing technique. He tears and cuts out paper shapes, which he then arranges in a composition on an aluminum plate. His self-dyed cut-outs of tissue paper overlap and merge with each other, creating a variety of abstract shapes. He deliberately leaves scratches and torn strips of paper visible on the surface of the aluminum. They form an important part of the artwork, in which texture and roughness are central components. Mäkinen invented his signature technique in the process of trying to find a way to push the seriality of printmaking in a more painterly direction. As always is the case in printmaking, chance plays a huge part in the result.
Mäkinen completed a master’s degree at the Academy of Fine Arts and studied sculpture and media art at the Lahti Institute of Design and Fine Arts. He has been a visiting lecturer at many Finnish art schools, and his work is found in collections, including the Finnish State Art Deposit Collection and the Sara Hildén Art Museum.
