The 2026 art prize has been awarded to visual artist Elina Vainio, Master of Fine Arts (born in 1981). The prize is awarded in recognition of Vainio’s original, uncompromising and bold artistic work, in which visual expression and conceptual thinking intertwine into a powerful and recognisable whole.
In her work, Elina Vainio focuses on installations, and her art is site-specific and material-driven. She utilises a variety of materials in her works, including textiles, sand and beeswax, and her installations are defined by temporariness, the evanescence of materials and subtle, observation based changes. The works do not offer a single, correct interpretation but open up room for personal experience and the examination of the boundaries of observation.
