The Young Artist of the Year 2026, Roope Itälinna (b. 1990), is a painter based in and working in Turku, Finland. He is one of the most influential and technically distinctive figures in contemporary Finnish painting. Itälinna’s masterfully executed, photorealistically precise works depict the multi-layered nature of human experience — loneliness and the longing for connection, escapism and hedonism, personal memories and imagined situations.
In his paintings, Itälinna examines young people and fleeting moments of youth in both tightly framed, domestic interiors and expansive industrial halls, clubs, and streets. Nightlife, party culture, clubbing, and rave culture form a central focus of his work. The dancing figures in his paintings are ecstatically immersed in their own spheres amid neon-lit color baths, drifting smoke, and electronic music. Some works also carry surreal and dystopian undertones, depicting people wandering through seemingly endless spaces without contact, detached from others. Melancholy, loneliness, and a sense of alienation within a crowd emerge strongly as recurring themes. The figures often appear alone even in the presence of others, turned away or with their gaze averted.
In Itälinna’s works, photographic precision, intense use of color, and minimalist spatiality are combined to create a charged atmosphere. His realistic acrylic and oil paintings are based on photographs he takes himself, which he then crops and composes, adding imagined elements to the final works. Itälinna’s painting process is meticulous and labor-intensive, requiring significant time and concentration.
Roope Itälinna graduated with a degree in Fine Arts from the Arts Academy at Turku University of Applied Sciences in 2019. His works have been exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Finland and the United States. Itälinna’s works are included in the collections of the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma as well as in private collections.
The Young Artist of the Year is a rising star, radiating boldness, creativity, and talent. The annual exhibition at the Tampere Art Museum celebrates internationally intriguing artists under the age of 35, providing them with space and support to shine. For four decades, this prestigious Nordic art award has highlighted emerging Finnish contemporary artists and preserved the works of the most promising talents for future generations.
