Art exhibition by Finnish artists Maria B. Raunio and Sirpa Ihanus

Maria B. Raunio and Sirpa Ihanus, two Finnish artists living in Hungary, present their art in Várkert Bazár in Budapest from 28th of April until 31st of May.  The exhibition honors the 150th jubilee year of Akseli Gallen-Kallela, who is one the most significant painters in Finland’s history.

The works of art by Maria B. Raunio ja Sirpa Ihanus reflect their Finnish roots althoug both artists have lived in Hungary already for a long time. Their art presents elements from Finnishness especially through the usage of light and colors as well as in the form of the simplicity typical for the Finnish culture.

Maria B. Raunio, who has lived in Hungary for 15 years, wanted originally to become a mathematician. She studied in Japan and Italy before eventually acquiring her degree at 2011 at the Hungarian University of Fine Arts in Budapest. Her paintings are interpretations of women’s life and are inspired by her own life. Her Finnish origins influence unintentionally her art; the experience of solitude, which in this sense is far from being negative, is present in every boat and woman she ever painted. Raunio is also the artistic director and teacher at the Porras Academy – Fine Arts Summer School in Finland, and an enthusiastic organizer of the cultural life between Finland and Hungary. She exhibits on a regular basis in Finland, Hungary, and other Central-Eastern Europen countries.

Sirpa Ihanus has lived in Hungary since 1985. The works of sculptor and paper artist Ihanus can be characterized by an abstract organic approach to art. In her works Ihanus uses natural materials such as paper, wood, stone and metal in order to create modern works with a feeling of ancientness. In addition Ihanus uses intense colours reflecting the close relation to nature characteristic of people of the North.

The exibition by Maria B. Raunio and Sirpa Ihanus will be open in Várkert Bazár gallery in Budapest between 28th of April and 31st of May from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm. The entrance fee is free when you purchase a ticket to the gallery’s other exhibition, Csók150, which costs 2000 forints.