Satu Kalliokuusi ja Ahti Meier

FINNO-UGRIC LANDSCAPE
A joint exhibition by Ahti Meier and Satu Kalliokuusi

The artist couple Meier & Kalliokuusi present their joint exhibition Finno-Ugric Landscape, consisting of paintings created using various techniques. The exhibition will open at the Ainola Centre Gallery (address: Jaani 4, Tartu) on Thursday, April 2 at 6 PM. It will remain open until May 17. Admission is free.

Ahti Meier and Satu Kalliokuusi have been working side by side for 18 years, each painting their own so-called landscapes. Meier paints traditionally with oil on canvas, while Kalliokuusi mainly uses self-made plant-based inks and pigments in her works, combining them with traditional embroidery.

Ahti Meier is an Ingrian Estonian returnee living in Finland, whose art is influenced by his childhood and youth spent in occupied Estonia. He has participated in several group exhibitions in Finland and Estonia, and has also held multiple solo exhibitions in Helsinki.

“I do not consciously take a stance in my works; instead, their content emerges freely and expressively from my subconscious. Over time, the most important sources of inspiration have become the wide and rolling landscapes of my old home region in the Tartu countryside, the so-called ‘pillows of Kalevipoeg,’” Ahti explains.

Satu Kalliokuusi is a notable Finnish visual artist who works actively across Finland and in the international art scene. Recently, themes from folklore—especially the connection between humans and nature—have become central in her art. Her work is influenced by Estonian culture as well as Eastern Finland and Lapland. Over decades, Kalliokuusi has developed her own artistic methods, exploring natural pigments and other ecologically sustainable techniques.

Satu Kalliokuusi (2023)

Ahti Meier (2025)