The Phantom

2020

Oil colour on 50 x 70 x 1,5 cm prefab canvas, ready to be hung.

The reference to this is a photo which I took in Suomenlinna fortress (Helsinki archipelago) and which awoke many memories from my childhood. Growing up in the countryside close to Tampere we were surrounded by lakes and forests, and boy, did we roam! Could it be that I already had a hunch about my climbing addiction to come because all the best of childhood activitities involved climbing in trees, the building of treehouses and construction of ropes to swing like Tarzan. When I didn't have any company I'd very often read in a tree or in a treehouse, for hours. It was perhaps the sweetest of private universes.

The biggest of the treehouses we built with friends was actually a small fortress with its own little watchtower. Its main purpose was to serve as shelter where we could plot against girls. In reality, though, we tipped the girls any possible way on how to find us, for us to get into close combat with them. The disappointment was huge when these girls didn't swallow our bait.

This painting suits and hopefully ends up in a home that has attitude! It is dedicated to all "weirdos", hermits, blabberers, enthusiasts, sorry-asses, uncools, fat-asses, thin-as-a-reeds, poor bastards and for people floating in their own universes. I tried to paint a "neutral" face: no need for anyone to wonder whether there's a boy or a girl or something else...

The sign on the lower right says (in Finnish with many spelling mistakes): "The Phantom lives here—all requests into the box below".

PRICE OPTIONS (Please, check Info for details!):
• UNIQUE 800 €
• BASIC OWNERSHIP 640 €

Please note that these prices are without packaging and shipping fees, inside of Finland. For international purchases, refer also to the Info section for further detail.