Bio
Photo: Bernhard Ludewig
Markus Jäntti is a Finnish-born visual artist, living and working between Berlin and Espoo. He graduated with a Master of Fine Arts from the Berlin University of the Arts under Professor Robert Lucander and participated in the Hunter College “Studio Art” Master Program in New York. He has been awarded, among others, the Elsa-Neumann-Stipendium des Landes Berlin and the Finnish Art Society’s young artist grant. He is currently the visiting lecturer at the Berlin University of the Arts.
In his artistic practice, he explores the themes of outsiderness, the generativity of endless visual stimuli, and the intersection of high and pop culture. In his paintings and prints, Jäntti’s composition is loose and his subjects are composed of fragments. They move fluidly between pop art, naivism, and contemporary expressionism, building interesting visual bridges. Repetition can be found both within and between works.
His glass sculptures and equestrian motifs borrow their shapes from the horses of top-brand logos, playfully referencing luxury and status. Yet, in their materiality, they are something other than the silk scarves draped over the shoulders of the upper classes. Glass, like fashion, follows the colors of the season—its production tied to trends and desirability. At the same time, it is deeply nostalgic, conjuring memories of souvenirs, small figurines, and childhood toys. This duality precious yet transient, fashionable yet timeless—echoes throughout Jäntti’s work. By layering critical discourse within a subtle and visually alluring aesthetic, his sculptures reveal the slippages between high and low culture, permanence and ephemerality, exclusivity and mass appeal.
Finnish Painters
Artist Register of the Artists’ Association of Finland
Universität der Künste Berlin
Education
2020–2022 Pedagogical Studies for Teachers in the Arts, Uniarts Helsinki, Finland2013–2019 Meisterschüler der Künste (MFA), Universität der Künste Berlin, Germany
2018 MFA programme in studio art, Hunter College, City University of New York, USA
Selected Group Exhibitions
2025 – Suvi-Pinx, Sysmä, Finland2025 – II., Toinen Silmä, Helsinki, Finland
2024 – The Artist as Curator's Art vol.XIV, Schaufenster, Berlin, Germany
2024 – Suoja / Shelter, Toinen Silmä, Helsinki, Finland
2023 – Softpower private collection, Berlin, Germany
2023 – Superdruckmarkt, Berlin, Germany
2023 – Oulu Music Video Festival, Oulu, Finland
2023 – Art Center Salmela, competition for young artists, Mäntyharju, Finland
2023 – Roaminale #2, roam space, Berlin, Germany
2022 – Premiere of Et le passé revit le temps d’une visite, Schwartzsche Villa, Berlin, Germany
2022 – Vague, Hilbertraum, Berlin, Germany
2022 – Reykjavik Arts Festival, Reykjavik, Iceland
2022 – Heads, Gallery Marianne Heller, Heidelberg, Germany
2018 – Mänttä Art Festival 2018, Mänttä, Finland
2018 – GIFC, Fisher Parrish, Brooklyn, USA
2018 – Showpiece by pro temp, Galleri Nicolai Wallner, Copenhagen, Denmark
Duo Exhibitions
2025 – finish line, B Gallery, Turku, Finland2025 – in all directions, Teile 2064, Berlin, Germany
2024 – Laine & Jäntti feat. Outi Heiskanen, Voipaala Art Centre, Valkeakoski, Finland
2024 – Smuggling, Art Center Salmela, Mäntyharju, Finland
2024 – Automatic, Paja Gallery, Helsinki, Finland
Solo Exhibitions
2025 –Free Spirit, Finnish Glass Biennale, Riihimäki, Finland2025 – Collisions, Vallilan Panimo, Helsinki, Finland
2022 – Slow Down - Gnomes at Play, Galleri Apoteket, Romakloster, Sweden
2020 – Unicorn Stories, Finnland Institut in Deutschland, Berlin, Germany
2018 – Trampoliini – Trampolinen, ARTag Galerie, Helsinki, Finland
2017 – I.M.M.J. – It's the Most Marvellous Joy, VAERK_stedet, Copenhagen, Denmark
Residency
2020 – Tapiola Guest studio, The Finnish Artists’ Studio Foundation, Espoo, FinlandMemberships
Finnish Painters‘ UnionSelected Grants and Prizes
2023 – Aue Stiftung2022 – Paulo Foundation
2022 – Elsa-Neumann-Stipendium des Landes Berlin
2021 – Neustart Kultur - Stiftung Kunstfonds
2021 – Alli Paasikivi Foundation
2021 – Project grant, City of Espoo
2020 – Arts Promotion Centre Finland
2020 – Finnish Art Society, Young Artist Grant
2020 – Oskar Öflunds Stiftelse
2020 – Alfred Kordeliin Foundation
2019 – PLAYGROUND ART PRIZE 2019 (Nomination)
2017 – Märkisches Stipendium (Nomination)