Finnish painter Riikka Sormunen’s art brings the controlled world of theater and the chaotic flow of human emotions onto the same stage. Her first solo exhibition in the United States, Only Lovers, at Richard Heller Gallery, presents this tense yet visually pure and delightful encounter.
How much can a painting reflect a meticulously rehearsed moment on stage? Riikka Sormunen’s first U.S. solo exhibition, Only Lovers, at Richard Heller Gallery is the result of the artist’s experimental journey that began with the idea of theater. In her works, Sormunen constructs a stage where everything is carefully planned, placed, and rehearsed. Her characters, aware of the audience, strike poses imbued with emotions drawn from a script of confessions and fantasies.
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The artist’s focus is on feeling and evading meaning. She seeks ways to mimic the sense of touch through memory and inference rather than direct observation. Sormunen explains her connection to painting with the following words: “Seeing hair, fabric, or fruit take shape in this way is what ties me to painting. It’s the closest thing to how I imagine casting a spell would feel.”
Her paintings feature scenes set by the seaside or on various beds. These scenes arise from a desire to create compositions through the pure visual pleasure of textures, patterns, and colors. The artist notes that the need for sincerity constantly battles with the urge to please: “I tell the truth, but I embellish it.”
This exhibition invites viewers into the tense space Sormunen creates between personal confessions, artistic arrangement, and emotional memory.
Exhibition Details:
Artist: Riikka Sormunen
Title: Only Lovers
Venue: Richard Heller Gallery, Santa Monica
Dates: October 25 – December 13, 2025
