2 May 2025

Kollektivet presents a selection of the best Finnish picture book illustrators

The exhibition ‘Kollektivet – Picture Book Illustration from Finland’ was opened to the public for the first time in the seaside city of Oulu, Finland at the end of April. The exhibition is held at the Valve Gallery located in the Cultural Centre Valve, running until June 1, 2025. After this, it will continue to tour around Finland and Sweden.

An immersive art experience for illustration fans of all ages

The previous successful exhibition of Finnish children’s books BY (the village) toured in Germany, Sweden and Finland during 2014-2017. Now its sequel Kollektivet will focus on illustration as an art form by taking over traditional museum spaces, to enhance the status of illustration art and children’s culture.

Kollektivet features art from award-winning Finnish artists and picture book illustrators. The group of ten artists and illustrators includes Linda Bondestam, Jenni Erkintalo, Lena Frölander-Ulf, Edith Hammar, Maija Hurme, Erika Kallasmaa, Jenny Lucander, Laura Merz, Sanna Pelliccioni and Maria Sann. Under one roof each artist and illustrator has a dedicated space, where their chosen illustrations stand out. The immersive experience is set to captivate audiences of all ages. The exhibition invites visitors to experience the magic of storytelling and takes them on a mesmerizing exploration of the playful, thought-provoking and inclusive world of picture book art that does not shy away from difficult topics or hope.

Exhibition highlights

The exhibition features several titles represented by Rights & Brands.

Picture book Worm and the Forest (Mato ja Metsä, Etana Editions 2024) continues the story of the adventorous Worm, familiar from the 2019 White Raven Worm and the Sea by Jenni Erkintalo. The timely series with fresh artwork raises awareness and introduces the wonders of nature in a way that speaks to the youngest in the family.

Lena Frölander-Ulf’s trilogy includes multi-award nominee Me, Fidel and the Forest (Jag, Fidel och skogen, Förlaget 2016), Me, Dad and the Sea (Pappa, jag och havet, Förlaget M 2018) and Runeberg Junior nominee Me, Fidel and the Big City (Fidel och jag i storstan, Förlaget 2021). These reassuring stories about different fears and overcoming them, learning to be oneself and finding one’s place in the world are told from the perspective of a child. Frölander-Ulf’s illustrations made in dark scratch cardboard are beautifully captivating.

Kummalla kammella (Otava 2022) is written by Laura Ruohonen and illustrated by Erika Kallasmaa, an internationally acknowledged and multi-awarded duo and creative minds behind the many illustrated poetry books that have become modern-day classics. The poetry book Kummalla kammella takes the reader into the wildest waters onboard a ship loaded with lyrical poetry. The maritime atmosphere is conveyed in a nautical rhyming journey and Kallasmaa’s illustrations complement the mood of the poems perfectly.

Last and Found (Kaikki löytämäni viimeiset, Etana Editions 2022) is a collection of treasures inviting open conversations about each and everyone’s lasts. The picture book is a gathering of special moments in life collected with a sensitive eye by author-illustrator Maija Hurme. Last and Found was one of the 2023 Nordic Council Children’s and Youth Literature Award nominees. The celebrated title was on The BRAW Amazing Bookshelf in 2024, among the 100 Outstanding Picture books in 2023 and one of the The Most Beautiful Books in Finland in 2022.

Laura Merz is a Finnish visual artist, illustrator, and designer. Her works have been awarded and exhibited worldwide, and her public art can be found in several prestigious buildings in Finland.

The exhibition features illustrations from a new unpublished book by Laura Merz. Merz has illustrated two animal-themed books A Thousand and One Creatures (Etana Editions 2016) and Among Fascinating Creatures (Etana Editions 2019), both written by Aino Järvinen. Both titles have received several awards and nominations, including the White Ravens 2017 accolade which was awarded to Merz’s debut picture book A Thousand and One Creatures.

A Thousand and One Creatures is a fun, informative, and interactive exploration of the natural world. It playfully explores the diversity of the animal world and its ecosystems with fun facts and captivating ink-painted illustrations. This book is a combination of a work of art and an inspiring encyclopedia for young readers. Järvinen’s humorous text, combined with Merz’s lively watercolor illustrations created by using non-traditional materials, enhance the central message that we’re all in this together― humans and all creatures great and small.

Edith Hammar’s graphic novel Portal (Förlaget 2023), received the inaugural Prisma Literary Award in 2023. Portal is a beautifully melancholic tale where fantasy and reality, the past and the present, skillfully intertwine to weave a story of longing for a bygone era. Edith Hammar is a celebrated Finland-Swedish visual artist and one of Finland’s leading graphic novelists. Hammar has participated in numerous collective and solo art exhibitions, and three of their works are included in the collection at Moderna Museet, Stockholm.

Kollektivet is created by a team of field experts including Jenny Ingman, Mia-Irene Sundqvist, Andrei Palomäki and Johanna Stenback in collaboration with Moomin Characters, the Swedish Cultural Foundation, the Brita Maria Renlund Memorial Foundation, Konstsamfundet, Tre Smeder Foundation, Valve Cultural Centre, Kunsthalle Helsinki, Örnsköldsvik Museum and Art Gallery, and the Nordic Watercolour Museum.