In the Layers of Being
In the Layers of Being presents works by four artists from the Päijät-Häme region who examine the human body and human experience from diverse perspectives. The exhibition centres on the work of painter Maria Laine and sculptor Marianne Siri, accompanied by a video and audio piece created specifically for this exhibition by visual artist Sami Leutola and dance artist Meri-Tuuli Risberg.
Laine’s meticulously rendered oil paintings draw viewers in with their realism, yet maintain a deliberate sense of composure and distance. Siri’s sculptures place the human body at the forefront, addressing themes such as biodiversity loss, intergenerational heritage, and a critique of contemporary consumerism. The works on display are crafted from plaster, ceramics, and acrylic resin.
Across the exhibition, the artists share a fascination with the details of the human form, close observation, the shifting boundaries of perception, and transience. Their processes are layered and time-intensive; allowing time to guide the work lends each piece a heightened sense of focus and presence.
The exhibition showcases new, previously unseen works by all four artists alongside pieces from Malva’s art collection.
The exhibition has received a state grant from the Finnish Heritage Agency.
About the artists
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Maria Laine (b. 1983) is a contemporary artist who lives and works in Lahti. Her large-scale oil paintings draw on the tradition of figurative painting, exploring human existence from a psychophysical perspective. With a particular focus on embodiment, her work turns our attention to profound questions about the nature of being.
Laine works with thin layers of oil paint, allowing the layers beneath to emerge while partially concealing them. Her technique thus becomes closely intertwined with the themes of her paintings, reflecting the tension between revelation and concealment that lies at the heart of human experience.
Laine completed a degree in fine arts at the LAB Institute of Design and Fine Arts in Lahti in 2008. Since then, she has held solo exhibitions and participated in numerous group exhibitions in Finland. She has received several project and working grants, and her works are held in private collections as well as in the collections of the Malva Museum of Visual Arts in Lahti and the Aine Pictorial Art Foundation.
Alongside her artistic practice, she works as a part-time art lecturer at the Wellamo Adult Education Centre.
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Marianne Siri (b. 1985) is a sculptor based in Hollola. She depicts the human form with remarkable realism and precision, exploring themes of embodiment throughout her practice. By juxtaposing humans and animals, she often creates eco-critical narratives that question our relationship with the natural world.
Critique of anthropocentrism is a recurring theme in Siri’s work. Her sculptures challenge the assumption that nature exists primarily for the benefit of humankind, while also exploring the human need for spirituality and experiences of the sacred.
The large scale of Siri’s sculptures and her painstaking working method make the process slow and meticulous. She strives for smooth, impeccably polished surfaces, building each work gradually by first constructing a supporting frame and then adding layers of clay. Once the sculpture is complete, she makes a mould and casts the work in plaster or acrylic resin. Some of her works are also made in ceramic. The model remains an essential part of her sculptural process throughout.
Siri took an unconventional path to becoming an artist. She initially trained as an environmental engineer before graduating as a ceramic artisan from the Forssa College of Crafts and Applied Arts. She has developed her skills in human figure sculpting and mould casting largely through self-directed study.
Siri is a member of the Association of Finnish Sculptors and the Lahti Artists’ Association. She has presented her work in numerous solo and group exhibitions across Finland. Alongside her artistic practice, she teaches ceramics and sculpture at adult education colleges in Heinola and Hollola.
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Dance artist Meri-Tuuli Risberg and visual artist Sami Leutola have been collaborating on multidisciplinary works since 2017. Their exploratory and experimental practice investigates recurring themes such as the relationship between movement and stillness, as well as critical perspectives on time and the hectic pace of contemporary life.
Working through a process-oriented approach, the duo combine contemporary dance, sculptural elements, moving image and sound. They often create installations and live performances in unconventional spaces and environments, seeking to make their work more accessible and reach audiences beyond traditional art and performance venues. Their work has been presented internationally at dance and film art events in countries including Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Switzerland and Belgium.
Sami Leutola
Sami Leutola (b. 1972) is a sculptor and visual artist based in Lahti who works across video, light and sound installations, sculpture and painting. His multidisciplinary practice brings together multiple forms of expression, allowing different media to intersect and inform one another.
Leutola’s practice is shaped by his interest in the multilayered nature of contemporary art, and he draws on a wide range of sources for both his subject matter and formal approach. He finds inspiration in everyday situations and fleeting observations, creating surprising parallels and unexpected combinations that challenge established conventions.
Leutola graduated from the LAB Institute of Design and Fine Arts in 2004 and went on to complete specialised studies in sculpture there from 2004 to 2006. Between 2022 and 2024, he also completed postgraduate studies in fine art at the LAB University of Applied Sciences.
Leutola has exhibited his work in solo and group exhibitions in Finland and internationally since 2004. He has also completed public commissions for the City of Lahti, including Teräsmummot (2018), a series of four steel figures located at various points along Rautatienkatu, and the wooden relief Kulkijat (2006), situated in the railway station underpass.
Meri-Tuuli Risberg
Meri-Tuuli Risberg (b. 1985) is a dance artist, dance teacher and independent artist based in Lahti. She qualified as a dancer from the North Karelia Vocational College in Outokumpu in 2008 and as a dance teacher from the Savonia School of Music and Dance in 2012.
Since 2011, Risberg has created numerous solo works and collaborative projects, working consistently to promote contemporary dance and strengthen its presence in the Lahti region.
Risberg often combines dance with other art forms, taking a dialogic approach to her practice. Her work is guided by the expressive potential of the body and movement, and by an understanding of both as being in a constant state of flux.
Over the past decade, Risberg has also worked as a choreographer and teacher of contemporary dance and improvisation in the Lahti Adult Education Centre’s theatre programme and the Salpaus Further Education Centre’s circus arts programme. She is a founding member of the multidisciplinary Liiketila collective, established in 2015, which has performed widely in Finland and internationally.
Risberg has founded and produced professional events including LOKATANSSIT, held since 2014, ASKEL, a pop-up stage established in 2019, and TanssiKino, a dance film event launched in 2021.
Risberg is committed to making the arts more accessible and bringing contemporary dance beyond traditional performance venues. A guiding principle of her practice is that any space or location can become an interesting setting for a performance.
