J. P Köykkä, Mikko Paakkonen: COLLABO 7.8.-31.8.2025

J.P. Köykkä (b. 1987) and Mikko Paakkonen (b. 1990) are visual artists whose primary medium of expression is abstract painting. They have participated in several of the same exhibitions, and their works have been shown in the same spaces—even side by side. Each has a recognizable personal style, although both artists’ work can be described through color and rhythm, based on composition.

tm•gallery presents a joint exhibition by Köykkä and Paakkonen. This exhibition is not a dialogue between two painters’ works; rather, it gives rise to a third author, with a voice of its own. It consists of a wordless conversation but creates a new, independent language—like a dialect that blends different elements, where one might still recognize a word here and there. Similarly, in the COLLABO exhibition, traces of both artists’ hands can be found, but not either’s independent voice.

The artist colleagues and friends have painted the works in the exhibition together. The canvas has passed from one studio to the other, and the surface has been built up by both. In this process, two painters with similar professional backgrounds have intertwined their work. Their goal was not to create a concept for future use, but to learn something new by stepping outside their comfort zones—to force themselves to respond to decisions they would not have made on their own.

Both artists have distinctive, recognizable styles already familiar to many followers of contemporary art. The project that led to this exhibition has involved hours of conversation: how to combine two styles of abstract painting, how to resolve deadlocks, and most importantly—when a work is finally finished. Both artists came to the art world through a background in graffiti, and neither has felt the need to fully erase this influence from their practice. In their joint works, one can observe an aesthetic of overpainting. In this context, the act is not seen as disrespectful, but rather as a way to challenge the other artist. The exhibition title COLLABO refers to collaborative painting sessions in graffiti culture, where the aim is a respectful continuum.

The artists’ skills and shared interest in form and surface have ensured that the paintings selected for the exhibition are compositionally balanced. The tensions in the jointly created works arise more from differences in painterly touch than from any lack of cohesion in form. The collaboration between the two artists has given birth to a third painter. The works can be viewed independently, detached from Köykkä’s and Paakkonen’s individual practices. This is likely the most fruitful approach for the viewer to engage with this project. What will be interesting next is to see how this third painter might influence the future. Will we see more collegial influences or echoes of these collaborations in the artists’ individual work going forward?

Veikko Halmetoja
Gallerist, Curator

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