The Helsinki Art Hall is hosting the Kollektivet exhibition, a collection of illustrations from Finnish children’s books penned by dozens of the most prominent and most-loved Finnish illustrators, and illustrations by several HLA illustrators have made the list.
The works of Maija Hurme, Sanna Pelliccioni, and Maria Sann are on display in a stunning selection of illustrations in enlarged and life-sized formats.
Maija Hurme is participating in the exhibition with illustrations from her latest work. Previously, her book Shadowed (2018) was nominated for the Finlandia Junior Prize. Her Secret Gardeners, co-authored with Lina Laurent was recently published in English by Canadian Pajama Press.
Maria Sann’s illustrations on display are taken from The Skeleton, the book she co-authored with Malin Klingenberg, about a child who is afraid of skeletons and is horrified to find out we all have one. The Skeleton has enjoyed a warm success both domestically and internationally: it was nominated for the Nordic Council Children and Young People’s Literature Prize in 2024, and has already travelled to four foreign language territories.
Sanna Pelliccioni is in the spotlight with Free, the book she co-authored with Eppu Nuotio, about peaceful protests, civic activism, and non-violent resistance from a child’s world perspective, with history as its background. Sanna Pelliccioni is an established illustrator in Finland, and her Forest Field Notes, which she co-authored with Johanna Venho, is about the hit the shelves in New Zealand.
Linda Bondestam, an established award-winning illustrator, who is on HLA’s list with her illustrations for The Fantastickle Friend, penned by Alexandra Salmela, is also part of the exhibition with the illustrations for her latest work.
The exhibition has been a hit with adults and children alike, and has made headlines on Finnish media: Yle national broadcast dedicated the exhibition a feature, highlighting the huge mural paintings the illustrators are jointly working on and the special focus dedicated to the creative process of the illustrator and the tools in their use, ranging from pencils to brushes to graphic design tools.
The Helsingin Sanomat national newspaper dedicated the exhibition an article where a notoriously picky critic – a four-year-old boy– joins the journalists and gives his unfiltered and enthusiastic opinion, resulting in a glowing review of the exhibition, which has been designed to be enjoyed by art lovers of all ages.
Warmest congratulations to the illustrators, and don’t miss out on this exhibition!