Markus Jäntti is a Finnish-born visual artist, living and working between Berlin and Espoo. He graduated with a Master of Fine Arts from the Berlin University of the Arts under Professor Robert Lucander and participated in the Hunter College “Studio Art” Master Program in New York. He has been awarded, among others, the Elsa-Neumann-Stipendium des Landes Berlin and the Finnish Art Society’s young artist grant. He is currently the visiting lecturer at the Berlin University of the Arts.
In his artistic practice, he explores the themes of outsiderness, the generativity of endless visual stimuli, and the intersection of high and pop culture. In his paintings and prints, Jäntti’s composition is loose and his subjects are composed of fragments. They move fluidly between pop art, naivism, and contemporary expressionism, building interesting visual bridges. Repetition can be found both within and between works.
His equestrian motifs in the paintings and glass sculptures borrow their shapes from the horses of top-brand logos, playfully referencing luxury and status. Yet, in their materiality, they are something other than the silk scarves draped over the shoulders of the upper classes. Glass, like fashion, follows the colors of the season—its production tied to trends and desirability. At the same time, it is deeply nostalgic, conjuring memories of souvenirs, small figurines, and childhood toys. This duality precious yet transient, fashionable yet timeless— echoes throughout Jäntti’s work. By layering critical discourse within a subtle and visually alluring aesthetic, his sculptures reveal the slippages between high and low culture, permanence and ephemerality, exclusivity and mass appeal.