Kaarlo Stauffer on Nostalgia as a North Star

Kaarlo Stauffer is a Finnish painter and artist known for his figurative style of painting; one that mingles memories and mysticism into colorful works filled with hazy landscapes, almost-familiar characters, and largely autobiographical scenes. He graduated from the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts in 2014 and has since held private exhibitions in Helsinki and Turku, in addition to participating in group exhibitions both in Finland and internationally.

Kaarlo spent three months in New York at the Triangle Visual Arts Residency in Brooklyn’s DUMBO neighborhood. His stay was supported by us here at the FCINY, along with the Finnish Cultural Foundation. The Institute’s Helmi Korhonen spent an afternoon at Kaarlo’s studio, in conversation about his artistic inspirations, and interpretations of his past, present, and future. 

“How have you liked your stay here at Triangle Arts?”

Triangle’s residency has felt very fitting for me; there is a sense of things existing here both for us and together with us. Triangle’s culture of communal conversation and ideation has made me feel super welcome here in DUMBO.

Another cool thing about being here at Triangle has been the occasional transformation of my studio space into a showroom of sorts. There’s been a steady pace of around three curators or gallerists visiting me here each month (from places such as The Kitchen, The Shed, and The New Museum) which has given me a sense of both momentum and motivation. They’ve helped me make temporal marks of my time in NYC, and given me a desire to have some progress to show every new visitor that comes by. In the beginning, I felt a bit bare showing such unfinished work, but it has forced me to relearn how to show up authentically.

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Of course, not all of Kaarlo’s time was spent at the residency studio in Brooklyn. “I’ve been surprised by how much urban exploration I’ve been able to fit into three months”, he describes – citing visits to almost all eligible beaches in NYC, an upstate yoga retreat, and even all the way to Philadelphia for a weekend.

Kaarlo explains: “The way this city unfolds and keeps unfolding is very inspiring to me. You’ll find something new behind every corner. The scale is also very different to what I’m used to in Helsinki. Being a tourist here, it gives the experience of walking around an almost magical, dreamlike quality. It’s a feeling I really enjoy, and something I like to express in my paintings, too.”

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“Speaking of comparisons between here and Helsinki – has working in a more temporary setting and with a smaller set of tools affected your work?”

Definitely! I have a shared studio space back home, one that I’ve been able to mold to fit my needs perfectly over the years. Something that has felt exciting about being in this more momentary space (and working with a more limited selection of materials here) is how it has impacted my working process and methods.

Instead of oil – which takes ages to work with – paper and gouache have given me the opportunity to work with lighter forms of ideation. I’ve devised a sort of cut-and-paste working method, where I add layers onto my work by cutting out painted paper, then nailing it onto the background and wall. As an added bonus, it will be a lot easier to pack all these sketches in my luggage upon my departure. (A chuckle.)

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“What are your biggest sources of inspiration?”

I love looking at my past for reference and inspiration; many of my paintings are based on old family photographs. Recently, I’ve also rediscovered some drawings I made as a kid (in a dusty cardboard box in my old childhood home). I’ve tried to include some of those references in my current work. I like the kind of naive, child-like flare it adds to my paintings.

“This feeling of nostalgia that you keep returning back to in your work – do you think you’ll reach it with regard to your time in NYC once you return back home?”

It always takes me a while to let ideas and experiences process and unfold in my brain; so maybe once I get back home, my time in NYC will transform into another nostalgic memory I’ll want to paint. I do have a sort of wistful feeling about my departure from the city. New York has been an eye-opening experience for me, and I’m – even still – constantly reminded of how much of a treasure trove it is for arts, music, and culture. At the same time, I’m looking forward to returning back home to Finland – back to my own workspace and into the company of the people I love most.

Find out more about Kaarlo, his work, and his future endeavors on his website, and on the FCINY socials.