Strange Light
Rose-Mari Torpo
At dawn and dusk, light undergoes a subtle transformation, an in-between state where daylight and darkness overlap and only a soft, uncertain glow remains. Rose-Mari Torpo’s work is inspired by this fragile threshold and by the metaphorical charge of such moments – a liminal space that resists definition. Transparency, reflection, luminosity, and subtle chromatic nuance are central to her practice.
Guided by intuition and by the interaction of colour and light, Torpo explores experiences of spatiality and multi-sensory perception. Abstract compositions unfold into shifting, almost illusory spaces where light, colour, and movement generate immersive encounters. At the same time, Torpo strives to explore the boundaries of painting itself, how a work might extend beyond its frame and operate as an active spatial element.
Torpo’s work presents itself with immediacy. Her fluid compositions suggest continuous motion, functioning as a metaphor for ongoing inquiry. She experiments across media, using canvas, paper, polyester, and found readymade material, applying spray paint, acrylic, and ink to build layered surfaces that hold both atmosphere and structure.
In her most recent series, Torpo works with iridescent materials that refract and reflect light, causing the appearance of the work to shift with the viewer’s position. These materials intensify the inherent dynamism of her compositions, already marked by delicate chromatic vibration. At times her surfaces resemble atmospheric dust; at others they appear liquid, or more solid and congealed. Throughout, Torpo’s painting returns to fundamental questions of colour, line, and form. Its structural indeterminacy corresponds to an emotional register that remains consciously suspended and mutable, existing beyond figuration.
Rose-Mari Torpo is a Finnish visual artist and painter based in Helsinki. She graduated from the Free Art School of Helsinki in 2003 and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Turku’s Art Academy (2016) and a Master of Arts from LAB Institute of Art and Design (2025). Torpo has participated in exhibitions in Finland and internationally and received several awards, including the Saskia Prize (2024) and grants from the Finnish Arts Promotion Centre. Her works are held in several collections, including the Rauma Art Museum in Finland, the Finnish Art Society, and the Rothko Museum.
Curated by Tatjana Černova
20 February through 24 May 2026
Publicity image: Rose-Mari Torpo “Dawn”. Ink, acrylic, and spray paint on polyester and canvas, 180 x 125 cm, 2025, photo by Janette Holmström
