Kustaa Saksi

There’s something about Finnish artist Kustaa Saksi’s fluid, flowing, bright-colored shapes that’s universally appealing, some might say loveable. Although Saksi’s work is (mainly) computer-generated, he takes great pains to preserve a human touch, keeping his influences (nature, humanity, Asian food packaging) unique and his surroundings minimal.

Since graduating from design school in Lahti in 2000, this Finn’s been around the globe, alighting on Paris and having tea with Imelda Marcos before settling on his current workspace in an old chocolate factory in Amsterdam. With the canals at his feet, he’s illustrated for nearly every commercial enterprise under the sun, including Adidas, Levi’s, Havaianas, Mandarina Duck, and even J Lo’s Justsweet brand. How he finds time for personal projects is anyone’s guess, but he’s designed everything from wallpaper to plates to sneakers, while also appearing in gallery shows worldwide.

When we last caught up with Saksi he was breathless from installing his December 2008 show, The Heroes, at the disused Boudisque space in Amsterdam. He premiered 3-D busts of his whimsical war heroes and brand-new large-scale laser cut landscapes, along with a staggering array of other multimedia wonders. He asked us to kindly mention his new retrospective book, Offpiste: In the Land of Kustaa Saksi (Die Gestalten Verlag); it’s a delightfully off-the-beaten path introduction to his loopy, modern psychedelic style, so we were only too happy to oblige. 

Kustaa Saksi website
Video interview on Submarine Channel
Offpiste: In the Land of Kustaa Saksi book
The Heroes exhibition