Interview with the founder and CEO of Grane Art
Present yourself the way you’d like to be introduced.
I’m Jenni (Karjalainen), founder and CEO of Grane Art, a small art agency operating with professional artists with international potential, mainly from Finland.
What inspired you to start Grane?
Before launching Grane Art, I didn’t have much professional background in contemporary art. Before I’ve worked in and with politics, as a political advisor for three Finnish ministers, and in leading positions in advocacy, consultancy and lobbying. Since teenager, I’ve been interested in contemporary art, but mainly as a non-trained viewer. 5 years ago a gallerist friend of mine asked if I’d like to become a partner in his gallery. So basically Gallery Halmetoja in Helsinki, Finland, was my route into a more professional art world.
Finland is a country far up in the north, a bit isolated from the rest of Europe. Compared to bigger countries, the Finnish art scene is quite modest, and in economic terms the Finnish art market is minuscule. Still, we do have high-quality artists, it’s just that we’re lacking the bigger ecosystem supporting contemporary artist. With Grane Art, I’m trying to do my part in filling this gap.
I established Grane last spring with the plan of building networks within art world and to introduce more flexible models of collaboration with artists, outside of the traditional gallery scheme. I am hoping to champion artists with international potential and to raise the profile of contemporary Finnish art and artists.
What do you look for when choosing artists to collaborate with?
This spring Grane is celebrating its first birthday, and in the first year I’ve learned a lot. The essential in collaboration is that I believe in the artist and his/her art. It’s often difficult to describe it words, but I need to feel that the art work somehow speaks to me. One prerequisite is that the artist has to be a professional - someone trained and qualificated in contemporary art. Insofar all of the artists I have worked with have have been exhibited in galleries and museums before.
How do you want artists to feel when they work with you?
Throughout my career, honesty has been one of my key values. I don’t want to bullshit people or give promises I couldn’t keep; I want to keep things organized and thoroughly planned, so that the timetables and other practicalities are clear to everyone etc. When working with artists, it’s important that they know and feel that I appreciate their work - and I also expect that my part of the work is being appreciated, too. Infosar I’ve enjoyed a great deal working with artists. They often have a bit different viewpoints than other people - or at least they tend to think quite differently than, say, politicians!
What are you most proud of so far?
I’m proud of the two main projects I had with Grane last year: the Kim Somervuori book that was published as the first Grane publication last fall, and the first summer exhibition of Grane I had last year in south of Finland, Hanko.
What’s next for you? Are there any upcoming projects or ideas you’re particularly excited about?
This winter I’ve started working with my Grane projects of 2026, which will be another art book, displaying the art of the Finnish painter Teemu Mäenpää, plus the summer exhibition that will take place in July with six Finnish contemporary artists.
Is there a book, song, or place that has sparked your creativity recently, something you’d love to share with others?
I’ve spent the last month and a half in Fuerteventura, where I usually come in the coldest and darkest time of the winter. Since I’m trying to learn Spanish, I’ve been listening to Spanish music. One artist that I happened to find on Spotify has been playing on my headphones quite a bit. The young Mexican Jorge Guerra has songs with a traditional Mexican vibes, while the lyrics resemble more like gangsta rap! One of his songs, Con todo a mi modo, is one of my new favorites. In the song the singer promises himself not to listen to other people’s opinions or wishes, but to do things his own way. This is what I’m trying to do with Grane, too.
Discover Grane Art: https://grane.fi/
