Garden as a Room poster by Karoliina Hellberg (Artek 85th anniversary poster)

This beautiful poster features a work by Finnish artist Karoliina Hellberg. Artek commissioned her to create this work in 2020 as a celebration of their 85th anniversary.

Hellberg's work reflects her personal interpretation of Artek: when visiting the private home of architects and Artek co-founders Alvar and Aino Aalto in Helsinki, she was particularly compelled by its exterior, the garden and the terrace, a space Alvar Aalto considered to be a room in its own right. Hellberg’s original piece was made with water colour, ink and acrylic paint.

Of the project, the artist says: "The Aalto House was just a wonderful place to visit. This was only the second time I’d been, and I found it immediately fascinating. It was mid-July, and the guided tour started in the garden, which was all green and lush, full of irises and peonies. The guide told us that the Aaltos always considered gardens to be part of an overarching architectural experience – they could be rooms in their own right. She also told all sorts of anecdotes about why the plants were chosen – it was clear there had been so much care and love and thought there. I started going by myself over and over, bicycling there with my papers and inks, doing sketches in the garden and trying to figure out what I found so compelling about it, and gradually it became clear that I’d found my subject."

The resulting poster is carefully offset printed in Finland on Keaykolour China White paper.

Approximate dimensions: 50 x 70cm

Stock: gallery w'house