Jani Leinonen

Jani Leinonen (b.1978) is one of Finland's best-known contemporary artists, who has attracted attention with his provocative but playful, socially critical works. In his art, Leinonen often utilizes familiar characters of well known brands, as well as ready-made images, for which he creates new meanings.

In the Made in China series, Leinonen wanted to draw the viewer's attention to the production processes of multinational companies. The large canvases are filled with mascots from familiar brands that produce cheap, unnecessary items in China. The works themselves have also been commissioned from a factory in China. Leinonen has thus explored whether art can be created utilizing capitalism – by making the production process of works visible, he has at the same time taken a stance on cheap production by using its own mechanisms.

Several works from the Made in China series were on display at the School of Disobedience held at Kiasma in 2015–2016, one of the most significant projects in the artist's career to date. Internationally remarkable performances in the artist's career have been, e.g., his participation with two works at street artist Banksy's Dismaland art profect in the UK. Leinonen's works can be found in almost all significant Finnish public collections. His works have also been acquired in many internationally important private collections.