At the fifth edition of Art Antwerp, Helsinki Contemporary presents a curated booth with works by Anton Alvarez (SWE), Jussi Goman (FIN), and Teemu Mäenpää (FIN).
Anton Alvarez’s (b. 1980, Sweden) sculptural forms challenge our perception of weight and gravity, appearing both of this world and utterly separate from it. His practice focuses on the design of tools and processes for producing sculptures and architecture. They highlight the way in which an artist can be both craftsman and engineer, and the tension between these two roles.
Alvarez graduated from the Royal College of Art, London in 2012. His recent exhibitions include Sweet Tooth (with Oli Epp), Semiose, Paris (2025), Columns & Fences (with Mathias Weinfurter), Ruttkowski 68, Cologne (2023) and Honey, Millesgården, Stockholm (2022). Alvarez’s work is included in the collections of Nationalmuseum in Stockholm, Denver Art Museum in Colorado, and the Röhsska Museum in Gothenburg, as well as many prominent private collections. Alvarez has created several public sculptures in Sweden and has collaborated with fashion brands such as Gucci, Fendi and Issey Miyake.
Jussi Goman's (b. 1980, Finland) colourful acrylic paintings combine humor, movement and lightness. The painterly elements of his works and the surprising visual narratives create a rich and multi-layered ensemble. Goman's oeuvre also reveals a profound interest in art history, which is evident in his ability to reinterpret and playfully break the conventions of painting.
Goman graduated as a Master of Fine Arts from the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts in 2008. He has organized numerous solo exhibitions and participated in various group and joint exhibitions both in Finland and internationally. His works are included in several significant collections, including the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, HAM Helsinki Art Museum and the Saastamoinen Foundation Collection.
Teemu Mäenpää’s (b. 1977, Finland) paintings brim with raw energy, vibrant colour, and playful openness. His art grows from the very gesture of painting itself, and he combines media intuitively – from oils to spray paints – creating works that pulse with immediacy. Mäenpää’s physical, uninhibited approach to painting is rooted in his background in street art, and his practice embodies an attitude that defies the gravitas of high art.
Mäenpää graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki in 2008. His works have been shown in several exhibitions in Finland and abroad. His works are in the collections of Tampere and Turku Art Museums, the Nelimarkka Foundation, Saastamoinen Foundation, the Espoo Museum of Modern Art EMMA, and the Seppo Fränti Collection at the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma. Mäenpää has also created several public commissioned artworks.