L: What are some of the core things that inspire your creative process? 

Aimo: “In my work, I have been influenced a lot by popular culture. Although as a graphic artist and illustrator I have not drawn cartoons myself, very often the characters in my sculptures are familiar from the pages of comic books. Nature and animal subjects have also been very dear.”

L: What are the important principles in your work and your approach to your practice?

A: “My art is characterised by a warm humour. Handcrafting, and the direct contact with different materials such as wood, ceramics and bronze, is important to me in my work. Contrary to the mainstream of contemporary art, my works do not aim to be societally opinionated.”

L: What brought you to working with wood and three-dimensional artworks? What significance does the material have in your creation process?

A: “I had a long career as a graphic designer and illustrator before I discovered myself as a sculptor. Since I was a student, I have been creating graphic art, and it was not a very long journey from carving woodcuts to creating three-dimensional wood sculptures. Sculpting was initially a summer cottage hobby and a counterweight to the meticulous design work done on a computer. Gradually, three-dimensional handcrafting became part of my professional practice. Wood is a warm and humane material. I often use wood as the material for my sculptures, on which time and rotting fungi have already left their marks. This is how nature acts as the preliminary creator behind my sculptures, I just do the finishing of the works.”

Shop: Aimo Katajamäki’s Works

Explore: Lokal Creators