Sofia Karinen (b. 2000) is a Finnish-French visual artist based in Oulu, Finland. She has been an enthusiastic drawer and painter from a young age. Karinen studied at the Oulu School of Art for Children and Young People and at the Liminka School of Art. Whenever she is in Finland, she works and studies in the open programme at the Liminka School of Art. Her works have been exhibited in Finland, Sweden and France.
Karinen’s subjects emerge from her everyday surroundings and nearby nature. Photographs she takes with her phone function as a sketchbook for her paintings, which she most often executes in oil. In her distinctive style, one can recognise influences from her inspiration, the French painter Henri Matisse (1869–1954).
In 2023 Karinen worked at an artist residency in Vallauris, France, and in 2022 at the Aine Art Museum residency in Tornio, Finland. In 2025 her work Blue Mussels (Sinisimpukat) was selected as the cover image for Kaltio magazine. In 2026 Karinen was selected for Kaleva Media’s Spektri programme, which supports young artists from Oulu and promotes their visibility during the city’s European Capital of Culture year.
Sofia Karinen is Kettuki’s Artist of the Year 2026. As part of the recognition, her solo exhibition Light and Colour is on view at the Lahti Museum of Visual Arts Malva from 10 March to 17 May 2026.
Sofia Karinen
“Colours carry, colours take with them, with colours.”
Artworks
CV
b. 2000
Artist contact: azilislapon2@gmail.com
Website: www.sofiakarinen.com
Education
2020- Studies in painting, sculpture and printmaking, Liminka School of Art, Open Programme
2018-2020 Kempele Gardening Institute
2009-2011 Oulu Children’s and Youth Art School
Solo exhibitions
2026 Light and Colour, Lahti Museum of Visual Arts Malva, Lahti
2024 The Song of Colours (le chant des couleurs), Kulttuuritalo Valve, Oulu
2023 Liminka Art School, Liminka
2022 Colours carry, colours take with them, with coloyrs, Haparanda Library, Haparanda, Sweden
Joint and group exhibitions
2026 Points of Contact, Gallery Huuto, Helsinki
2024 Observations of life, Galleria Mehiläinen, Oulu
2023 Invitation au voyage, A.I.R. Vallauris, Place Lisnard, Vallauris, France
2023 Space for artistry, Ahjo Art Center, Joensuu
2023 Colours carry, colours take with them, with colours, Aine Art Museum, Tornio
2022 Time of light, Galleria Mehiläinen, Oulu
Artist residencies
2023 A.I.R. Vallauris, Vallauris, France
2022 Aine Art Museum residency, Tornio
Awards
2026 Kettuki’s Artist of the Year
Grants and rewards
2026 Kettuki Artist of the Year Award, Hanna-Liisa and Erkki Liikanen Fund, KSR Foundation
2026 Kaleva Media Spektri Programme Grant
2025 The Artist’s Magic Wand (Taiteilijan taikasauva), grant for creating an art exhibition
2022 Kone Foundation artist grant, Space for artistry project
2022 Aine Art Museum residency, Space for artistry project
2021 Oulun Saskiat ry
Other
2025 Artwork Blue Mussels (Sinisimpukat) featured on the cover of Northern cultural magazine Kaltio, issue 3/2025