Juho Könkkölä

Juho Könkkölä has been folding origami for over 15 years, having first started when only eight years old. His medium is a single square sheet of paper. In 2018 he decided to take an important step by creating his own origami designs. His creations are immediately distinguishable by the meticulous attention to detail and the complexity of the design and creation process. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Applied Sciences in Lapland, Tornio, in 2020, he has been exhibiting his works around Finland. One of his most influential exhibitions has been the Generation 2020 exhibition at Amos Rex in Helsinki. Juho draws his inspiration from many sources, including his passion for history, folk tales, mythology, nature and even general fantasy.

Unlike conventional origami models, most of Juho Könkkölä’s works are folded in nonsequential order. Instead of being folded in a step-by-step process, many large and complex structures may have several dozens of steps being folded at once. The creation process comprises two principal steps: the design and folding. The design process is meticulous and iterative, during which most of the folds are planned out. The folding process starts with pre-creasing, where hundreds or sometimes even thousands of creases are made on a single sheet of paper. The figure is then folded using two prominent techniques: dry and wet folding. Dry folding creates the structure and geometrical parts, and wet folding allows the creation of organic forms, and helps the work keep its shape over time.

Juho Könkkölä's primary interest in creating origami lies in the continuous exploration of and search for new ideas and concepts to express with the medium. His creative process is highly methodological, but improvisation also plays an important role in innovating and creating new and unexpected results. Due to the lengthy creation process, Juho mostly creates singular works instead of larger series on a particular theme. From the conception of a design to the final finished piece, a single origami piece can take more than three months to create. Juho is self-taught and did not have the opportunity to participate in origami teaching when he was developing his art.

Magnae Chartae Exhibition