Kaija Hinkula on Playful Structures and Utopian Visions

Kaija Hinkula is a Finnish contemporary artist with a Master's degree in painting from the Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki. In 2025, she is participating in a 6-month long residency at the New York-based ISCP, supported by the Helsinki Art Academy and the Saastamoinen Foundation. We caught up with Kaija to talk about her practice, time in New York, and her residency.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your artistic background? How do you describe your artistic practice?

My background is firmly rooted in painting. I think of painting in its expanded form, aiming to stretch its boundaries and explore its new possibilities. For me, painting can include other techniques, such as sculptural elements; it can spread into space or even take on a performative aspect. I describe the visuality of my works as malleable geometry, as well as fantastical minimalism – I believe the heavy history of painting is present in my work, but it’s been shaken up and brought into a new era. My works often consist of wall-mounted objects, readymade items, and also site specific installations. 

How has your residency at ISCP been so far? What kind of influences or inspirations have emerged during your residency?

My time so far at the ISCP residency has been intense but rewarding. I’ve really enjoyed being part of the ISCP artist community and working in the beautiful studio space, which also provides a peaceful environment for focusing on my work. 

The best part of ISCP has been the interaction with other artists and its many visitors. The building is full of incredible artists, and we’ve even started something called Monday Club – an ongoing exchange where we visit each other’s studios, share our creative processes, and have conversations about it.

The exchange of ideas and experiences with such a diverse group of artists and visitors from different backgrounds has been interesting and fruitful. It's definitely been a great opportunity for professional exploration and development here already. On the other hand, I’ve been soaking up the overwhelming amount of art that New York has to offer. It’s massive! It has felt like a luxury – I don’t think I’ve ever been in a place where there’s so much to see, so it’s important to plan ahead and decide where to focus your energy as an art consumer.

Your work blends painting, sculpture, and other time-based media – has New York shaped your material choices and spatial explorations? Has the environment influenced your thinking and artistic choices?

Starting a new project in a new city always comes with practical challenges, especially since my work involves laser cutting and readymade objects. Luckily, New York is so vast that I’ve been able to find everything I need, although sometimes traveling to gather materials takes more time than it would back home. The studio space has also had a huge impact on my work – the massive walls and beautiful light have allowed me to develop wall painting as part of the pieces, which is familiar to me, but right now, I’m seeing the studio almost like a gallery space and thinking about its spatial possibilities in relation to my work. I also plan to create an outdoor intervention or installation as an extension of the new series of works, but I’ve been waiting for warmer days to make that happen. In the meantime, I’ve been exploring the urban space and mapping out the framework I need for the new work I’m planning to create. The final form of the site specific work will be either a video work or a photograph - in a way that makes it accessible beyond just the physical space.

Tactic Nexus (2025), ongoing series by Kaija Hinkula

According to your bio, utopia and fantasy are central to your practice. Expanding on the previous question: Have your ideas, concepts and themes that you usually work on evolved or taken new directions during your residency?

The theme of my work has remained somehow consistent with what I've explored before, though now, with this new series, it comes from a different angle. The working title of this series is Tactic Nexus. It consists of colorful pieces in abstract sculptural compositions, which visually resemble board and sensory games and block play.

While starting working on this series, I’ve been thinking a lot about structures and rules: Who sets the rules, and how much can we influence them? I believe the state of the world is shocking – we're living in times of great crises. I feel the world needs new visionaries, an entirely new logic and order. This body of work serves as a poetic call, a fanfare, and a suggestion to the builders of utopia. Clearly, the old structures and rules no longer work, and we urgently need new ones. So although the works may initially appear colorful and joyful abstract compositions, there is a more serious undertone. It’s a juxtaposition – using something familiar and accessible, like the vivid colors, forms  and objects, to communicate a sense of urgency and reflection about the state of the world and the need for new structures and vision.

Have there been particular spaces, exhibitions, or artists that have resonated with you?

During the first months I visited the Sculpture Center, and it really left an impression on me. All three exhibitions – by Alvaro Urbano, ASMA, and Anita Esfandiari – were a stunning collection, beautifully displayed in the gallery’s architecture. I’ve also especially enjoyed exploring the smaller, newer galleries in the Lower East Side and Chinatown areas. I feel in small galleries they bring fresh perspectives and what they offer is also different from the more bigger and established venues. For me, many times it's the most interesting to explore the emerging artists and their new work which I feel is always super inspiring.

What kind of plans do you have for the rest of your residency?

My goal is to present the body of work I’ve described above, or its current state of development, during the ISCP Open Studios event. The work will of course continue to evolve after, both here and in Finland. I’ve heard that the Open Studios days at ISCP are very busy, and I’m excited about the opportunity to meet new people and have conversations with a completely new audience. I also plan to explore all the art museums in New York, that I haven’t yet had the chance to visit, to see many pieces that have been accessible for me only through the art history books. I’m planning a trip to Dia:Beacon and other places outside the city too. Looking forward to the summer as well, and experiencing the city when its parks are in full bloom – and can't wait for the day on the beach. 

Website: kaijahinkula.com

Interview questions by Rowena Hurme and Emma Termonen
Published: April 29th, 2025