About

Renja Leino (b. 1958) is an artist based in Korpo island S/Finland who works mainly with video, painting, photography and occasionally installations. Questions of content are central for her artistic work. The Archipelago Sea is dear to her, and her concerns for it have been a part of several artworks over the years.

AARK Archipelago Art Residency was founded by Renja Leino together with her husband Benkku Andersson. The residency started in 2015 and has hosted hundreds of art professionals from around the world. AARK celebrates 10-year anniversary with AARK festival in 2025.

Darling Sea, 2018, video

Renja Leino worked for decades as a lecturer of photography at the Turku Academy of Fine Arts, where she is now senior lecturer emerita.

Leino was awarded the Southwest Finland Art Prize 2021 by TAIKE (Arts Promotion Centre Finland) and her work can be found in several Finnish collections.

  • “Renja Leino is well respected in the field of Finnish photography, both as an artist and a teacher. Leino has been one of the central figures in the development of the photography course in Turku University of Applied Sciences, Art Academy, which has produced a number of internationally recognized young artists in the recent years. She has also been, amongst others, paving the way in Finland with her innovative use of mobile phone cameras in her practice ”

    Text cur. Taru Elfving, 2011 – www.contemporaryartarchipelago.fi

CV

  • University of Industrial Arts and Design (AALTO), Helsinki, Art Pedagogical studies 1995-97

    Konstfack, University College of Arts Crafts and Design, Photography, Stockholm 1986-90 Exchange 1989-90 Dep. of Photography at University of Industrial Arts and Design (AALTO), Helsinki.

    Studio Fotografen AB, photography assistant for Lars Köhler in Uppsala, Sweden 1984-86

    Uppsala University (psychology, sociology, dramatics, aesthetics) 1980-84

  • 2018 Darling Sea, cat ISBN 978-952-94-0885-6

    2008 Photography book BEING – Olio. Essey Just One Shot by Harri Laakso. Publisher TAIDE OY. www.taidelehti.fi text in English/Finnish ISBN 978-951-608-080-5

    2009 Just Anybody. Winchester Gallery. ISBN

    2005 Absent Minds, J. E. Purkyne University. Czech Republic EU Changing Faces

  • 2015 – AARK Archipelago Art Residency in Korpo Finland. co founder & director. www.aark.fi

    2013-12     Nida Art Colony, Lithuania, 2 months

    2007 Fotonet, UK, International Research fellowship, Photography. Fotonet, Winchester School of Art and Northern Photographic Centre, 2 months.

    2005 IPRN Changing Faces EU Project: J.E. Purkyne University, Czech Republic, 2 months

  • 2021 The arts councils of the Arts Promotion Centre Finland (Taike) have awarded an Art Price 2021, Varsinais-Suomi, Screening Darling Sea and (swimmer) Turku Theatre big screen ARTE Jubileum Screening  Darling Sea cur Mirjami Schuppert

    2017 Some Island Trees and Silver Sails with Benkku. AARK, Korpo. Lux Archipelago

    2012 – 16 Greenery on Loan, mirror installation. Barefoot Path environmental art event in the forest in Korpo. www.barfotastigen.com

    2012 Relativity of Time. Site Specific Forest installation at Barefoot Path.

    2011 Wind, sound work in Finnish/Swedish 7h55min stories of Wind. CAA radio channel 95,9 and Utö Lighthouse. CAA Contemporary Art Archipelago, Turku 2011 European Capital of Culture.

    2011 Sea Frills, light installation by thousands of reflectors under the Cathedral Bridge. FLUX AURA, Turku 2011  European Capital of Culture.

    2010 Absent Minds at Nordic House and university walls. Part of NUNA – The Present is Now. Reykjavik

    2007 Helsinki Festivals, Night of the Arts, Finland Absent Minds.

    2006 City installation Absent Minds, IPRN Changing Faces/Shifts, Jyväskylä

    2005 Billboarte Gallery Europe, Usti nad Labem, Czech Republic

    2003 End of Euphoria, Crashed car installation on a parking lot. City Art –project, Virasto, ARTE ry, Turku

  • 2023 Playground 8:30min sound by Postdoom Mykel Boyd and Seah; 2018 Darling Sea 1:10min loop; Archiving Ice3 channel 1:10h each, loop. edit together w Jussi Virkkumaa; Generations of Joy 17:38min,  2015: Mr Amber King, please! 22min, edit Viliina Koivisto ; Love Story 4min ; Materia 16min30s ; (Swimmer);  Yesterday is Present  2-channel wall projection (together w Ville Kumpulainen for Finnish Museum of Photography); Absent Minds, women. 2-channel wall projection.2014: Birds Night.  loop. 2013: Happy Hour 2:2, Flower Lover, 02:36; 2011: 20th June ;  2006: Sent via Multimedia (cooproduktion Leino&Hiltunen&Aaltonen) ; 2005: Yellow Being 04:20 2002:  Being,  12min.

  • 2024 Contrasting Times, Gallery Aski
    2023 Köysiratagalleria Turku Arts Academy. Hiostamo 5.
    2018 Photographic Centre PERI, Turku Finland  Darling Sea. Publication
    2015 Northern Photographic Centre Birds Pub Vol.3. Night Club
    2015 Korpoström Archipelago Centre, Main exhibition hall. July-August: Paradox of the Sea
    2015 Gallery Zebra, Karjaa. mobile motives Just Anybody & Absent Minds
    2013 Gallery Å, Turku Finland  Birds Pub Vol.2. Nature Is.
    2009 Northern Photographic Centre, “mobile motives (195-2655)”, Oulu
    2009 Winchester Gallery “Just Anybody” UK, cat.
    2005 Rantagalleria, Nothern Photographic Centre, Oulu
    2005 Archipelago Centre Korpoström, opening show
    2004 NYKYAIKA, Tampere
    2003 The Finnish Museum of Photography, Project.
    2002 Gallery TITANIK, Turku
    2000 Puskinskaja 10, Photoimage gallery, St Petersburg, Russia
    1997 Wäinö Aaltonen Art Museum, Studio,Turku Peli / Game
    1997 Zone –gallery, Helsinki
    1995 Lietuvas Aidas Gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania
    1995 Rantagallery, Turku
    1995 Poriginal –gallery, Pori
    1993 Laterna Magica, Helsinki Straight 3 (135/72)
    1992 Hippolyte, Photographic Gallery, Helsinki Pimeä valo
    1988 Upplands Museet, Uppsala, Sweden Kaipuu

  • 2023 Overflow III / Yllin kyllin III. Art House Turku
    2023 Overflow II / Yllin kyllin II. Art House Turku
    2022 Turku Art Hall, TTS  exhibition
    2021 Barefoot Path, Greenery on Loan. Mirror installation.
    2021 UNCERTAIN HORIZON cur Terhi Tuomi. WAM, Turku
    2019 RCC Quad Art Gallery, California, US. Video Transmition cur Matthew Luther.
    2019 Plastic Garbage Project, Archipelago Centre Korpoström. Between Islands.
    2017 Finnish Museum of Photography: Installation TheAbstract! cur. Laura Nissinen.
    2015 Finnish Museum of Photography DARKROOM. Video 2-ch wall projection with Ville Kumpulainen: Yesterday is Present
    2015 Frau+Werk Gemeentemuseum Helmond, Netherlands. Absent Minds2005-2015, 2-channel wall projection.
    2014 LOGOMO The black Box.
    2013 Mänttä Art Festival  cur. Jyrki Siukonen. cat
    2012 Psychosis2 I is Someone else. Färgfabriken Contemporary Art Hall. Stockholm. Cur Jocke Granit. cat.
    2012 The Mutual Factor of Exremes, Wäinö Aaltonen Art Museum, Turku Birds Pub– installation OnLine. 
    2011Water, Wäinö Aaltonen Museum. Turku. Video: 20th June
    2010 Art Anglais Contemporary Art Fair, Stockholm. Represented by Gallery Maaret Finnberg.
    2010 Supermarket, Stockholm Contemporary Art Fair, Hippolyte Gallery
    2010 Wäinö Aaltonen Museum of Art “The Big Picture”. Arte 50th anniversary.
    2009 Emil Filla Gallery, Czech Republic “Rebus sic Stantibus”, cat.
    2008 Espace Croix-Baragnon, Toulous, France “From Finland”
    2008 Aboa Vetus Ars Nova, Turku. Rebus sic Stantibus.
    2007 Museo Fotografia Contemporanea, Milano. IPRN “Work”,IPRN Changing Faces, cat.
    2006 Athens 13th international Month of Photography, ACG Art. Work/IPRN Changing Faces cat
    2006 Museum Folkwang in Essen, Germany, Work in Progress 2/IPRN, catalog
    2006 Fotofinlandia finalist show
    2005 Salo Art Museum, MOBIILIMEKKO
    2004 Turku Art Museum Concerning the Commonplace, catalog. cur Harri Pälviranta
    2004 Helsinki City Art Museum, Garden of Eden, Publication. Poster image A man among lovely roses.
    2003 Galerie Waidspecher im Kulturhof Krönbacken, Erfurt. Germany Landnahme cur Walter Bergmoser
    2001  Gallery Titanik, Turku, Romulux
    2000 Puskinskaja 10, St Petersburg, Russia Memento Mori. cur Dimitry Pilikin catalog
    1999 Åland ARTFARM cur Mervi Appel
    1997 Center of Photography, PERI  Finland 80v jubileum
    1995 Gallery Titanik Sex, Snackn Pop
    1995 Gallery Harmonia, Jyväskylä, Floating forks, cat
    1995 Ars Nova Museum, Turku, Arteologiset löydökset
    1992 Fotografiska Museet i Moderna Museet, Stockholm, Sweden 5+1 , cur, Leif Wigh catalog.
    1991-92  Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, (Swedish Institut) Figuras Femeninas
    1990-91  Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Some Swedish Strategies, catalog/ cur Jan-Erik Lundström
    1988 Kulturhuset Stockholm, Konstfack Futurum. catalog
    1987 Gallery Stranna, Trollhättan, Sweden Erotiska bilder

  • 2011 CAA Contemporary Art Archipelago Sound work Tuuli – Wind 7:55h Radio Channel  & Utö Light House

    2009- 2007     Korpo Sea Jazz Festival: DVD Image/Sound large screen video projection + concert of  Free Jazz Improvisation.

    2011 Hej Hylje. cat. A Fish Lovers Home.  Forum Marinum, Turku. Placed at Archipelago Centre Korpostrom

    2001 Time. A group work TAIK, multichannel video projection. HEUREKA, The Finnish Science Centre, Vantaa

  • EMMA Espoo Museum of Modern Art
    The State Art Collection of Finland
    The Finnish Museum of Photography
    Helsinki City Art Museum
    Gallery Harmonia
    T-hospital, Turku University Hospital
    IPRN, Changing Faces, Sunderland University,
    Turku City Art Collection
    Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland
    Oulu Art Museum
    TUAS Turku University of Applied Sciences. ICT.
    Private

  • 2021 The arts councils of the Arts Promotion Centre Finland (Taike) have awarded an Art Price 2021, Varsinais-Suomi. https://www.taike.fi/fi/uutinen/-/news/1401256

    2019- 20, 1 year working grant Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland (Svenska kulturfonden); 2018 Arts Promotion Centre Finland; Swedish Cultural Foundation; Konstsamfundet;  2015 Korpo Culture Raven of the year; 2015 Konstsamfundet; 2014 Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland; 2012 Finnish- Swedish Art Foundation; 2011 Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland, 1 year working grant; 2012 and 2011 The Arts Council of Finland; 2011 Löfgrens Fond; 2009 The Arts Council of Finland; 2009 Art Council of South-West Finland; 2008 Frame, Finnish Fund for Art Exchainge; 2008 Löfgrens Fond; 2007 The Arts Council of Finland, Photographic Art, 2007 Art Council of South-West Finland, 2007 Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland, 2007 Frame, Finnish Fund for Art Exchange; 2006 Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland; 2007 Frame, Finnish Fund for Art Exchange; 2006 Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland; 2006 The Arts Council of Finland; 2006 Fotofinlandia, finalist; 2005 Culture 2000, IPRN Changing Faces Artist Fellow Residency in Czech Republic 2 months; 2005 Finnish Cultural Foundation in Finland (group), 2004 / 2002 Art Council of South – West Finland; 2003 The Arts Council of Finland; 2003 The Arts Council of Finland, Photographic Art; 1997, 1995, 1991  Art Council of Turku and Pori; 1995 Konstsamfundet; 1993 Finnish- Swedish Art Council; 1994 Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland; 1988 and 1990 The Arts Grants Comittee, Sweden; 1987 Uppsala Arts Council, Sweden.

  • Finnish Union of Art Photographers
    AV-Arkki
    ARTE ry
    PERI
    ARKADIA
    Turku Artists Association
    MUU ry