Kristiina Sario:
Sweet Dreams

Kristiina Sario’s exhibition features tempera paintings where mythical heroes have permission to rest. Sario’s technique is tempera, which is rarely seen in contemporary art.  

The paintings in the Sweet Dreams exhibition draw upon the traditional European ethos of heroes and knights, as well as the associated demand for action and valor. The mythical men have crossed mountains and sliced dragon heads while women have grown hair in towers or waited in eternal sleep. The male characters in this exhibition have been allowed to take a resting position. Some have perhaps fallen into a hundred-year sleep.  

This exhibition at Gallery Katariina is the third part of a series of solo exhibitions by Kristiina Sario. They share the same main theme related to mannerisms in narrative tradition. Narratives of today maintain power structures and myths have intertwined into a tight weave with history writing. The first part of the series, Girls and Sticks, was seen in the Spring of 2025 at Galleria Aarni in Espoo. The second part, Boys, What's Up, was on display at Porvoo Art Hall in early 2026.  

The paintings are made with ancient egg tempera technique. The artist prepares the paint herself from chalk undercoat to tempera, which is composed of pigment, egg yolk, and other binding agents. The paintings are on birch plywood or linen. The painting process is laborious, and Sario attaches special significance to this slowness.  

Kristiina Sario’s artistic practice focuses on painting. Her work is characterized by an illustrative quality, with recurring themes of power dynamics and rituals. Sario has studied visual arts in London, Tampere, and Turku. Her works are held in collections such as Tampere Art Museum. Born in Karjalohja in 1979, the visual artist currently lives and works in Tampere.  

This exhibition is supported by Taiteen edistämiskeskus (Taike Pirkanmaa).