Published: 25.6.2026
Text: Ville-Eljas Pellikka
Editing: Viestintätoimisto Jokiranta Oy

How did you become an artist?

My path to becoming an artist began unexpectedly in primary school. At that time, I started studying the double bass at the Savonlinna Music Institute, and around the same time my family acquired an electric guitar and an amplifier. I did not know any guitar chords at all, but I tapped the end of the cable connected to the amplifier while adjusting its built-in effects. The result was hardly anything remarkable, but it fascinated me, and I wanted to learn more about the sounds I was creating.

Not long after those first experiments, I learned about digital audio workstations that could be installed on a computer, and I began making my first pieces. A more determined approach to music began when I started upper secondary studies at Savonlinna Arts Upper Secondary School. I met incredibly talented people who proudly created music in their own way. This inspired me to experiment, to search for my own style, and to develop as a musician. I became deeply interested in jazz and folk music, while at the same time experiencing great joy in rap tracks made with friends as well as my own jungle experiments. I realised that working with music is at its best diverse, inspiring and fun.

What is your relationship with nature like?

When I reflect on my relationship with nature, my thoughts take me to the forests and lakes of Eastern Finland. Boating with my grandfather in the Vuoksi water system and exploring the forests of Savonlinna with my friends are among my most cherished memories. Nature offers experiences, peace, and a refuge from the busyness of everyday life, but it is also essential for human beings.

Tell us a bit about your project that the Foundation is funding.

My most exciting project this year has been composing music for a documentary series about Antarctica. The film’s soundtrack consists of music written for synthesisers, piano and strings. The documentary will be completed in summer 2026, and its soundtrack will be released separately on streaming platforms. The support of the Sakari Alhopuro Foundation has given me time to immerse myself in the project and makes it possible to achieve an excellent final result.

I consider it important that people sometimes encounter art that challenges their views and habits.

What does art mean to you?

I feel proud to be part of something that can increase people’s understanding of the current state of the environment and offer them new perspectives. I believe that this is also one of the tasks of art: to create perspectives, to present something previously unknown, and to awaken something entirely new in the viewer.

I consider it important that people sometimes encounter art that challenges their views and habits. Stepping outside one’s comfort zone broadens the mind – and with a bit of luck, it also teaches something.

The world needs thought-provoking art. This blog series goes behind the art, featuring artists and works supported by the Sakari Alhopuro Foundation. In 2025, the art grants were awarded to artists who address aspects of climate change, biodiversity loss or the state of Finnish nature in their work.