Inkeri Julkunen and Other Naivists

“I am a naivist and I will remain one”

Naivism as an artistic movement has not previously been presented by Vaasa museums. The artistic genre is shown through the work of Vaasa-born artist Inkeri Julkunen (1935–2017). Julkunen began her work as a self-taught painter in the 1970s and adopted naivism because she felt it suited her best. She was one of the early naivists in Finnish art. The exhibition presents the artist’s work from the 1970s to the 1990s, which primarily includes oil and acrylic paintings and some sculptures.

Julkunen often depicted her immediate surroundings, so her works have retained familiar city views of Vaasa and the Karperö area. The artist warmly portrayed people in their familiar everyday activities, in the enchantment of play or spending their free time on warm summer days. The depicted people were also real people; friends, neighbors or strangers passing by on the street. Animals and space also played an important role in Julkunen’s art. The works show artistic freedom, and the subjects often contained humorous features, typical of naivism.

The origin of naivism comes from the French word naïve, which means childlike, honest, and natural. The art style was born as a countermovement to the aesthetics and theoretical nature of 20th-century impressionism. Naivism is multifaceted and its manifestations vary in topic, style and technique. Generally speaking, it is narrative, colorful and humorous. Like Inkeri Julkunen, artists are often self-taught, but not everyone. In Finland, the appreciation of naivism increased since the 1970s.

To demonstrate the diversity of naivism, the exhibition will probably be complemented by Inkeri Julkunen’s naivist colleagues who worked with her at the same time. The exhibition is produced by the Vaasa Museums and it is curated by the exhibition curator Janna Sirén.