One of Finland's most celebrated artists, Matti Kujasalo has attained an international reputation. Born in Helsinki, Finland, in 1946, Kujasalo received formal artistic training at the Fine Arts Academy of Finland, Helsinki from 1964 to 1968, where he later served as an instructor and director. A member of the International Workgroup for Constructive Art since 1976, he has developed his own visual language evolving around horizontals, verticals, and even diagonals. His trips to the U.S. in 1967 and 1970 introduced him to art by American abstractionists such as Ad Reinhardt (1913–1967) and Josef Albers (1888–1976), inspiring him to produce paintings with serially arranged short lines. Since the 1990s, his painting surfaces have been reduced to an almost monochromatic palette, capitalizing on the contrast between black and white. The black strokes are created with acrylic paint, while the white lines are in fact negative space, a result of the removal of pre-applied adhesive tape. Sometimes these linear intersections are framed by a circle, which invites the viewer to contemplate the image from any direction. Despite the rigidity of the modular formations, these paintings flicker if the eye lingers on them, and thus possess unique lyrical and mystical qualities.

Kujasalo has represented Finland at the Venice Biennial and has participated in many international art fairs, including Art Basel, Art Basel-Miami Beach, Art Forum Berlin, Foire Internationale d'Art Contemporain (FIAC), and Art Hong Kong. He was awarded the Finlandia Medal of the State of Finland in 2006, and has been an honorary member of the Finnish Painters' Union since 2009. Solo exhibitions include The Collection of the Venice Biennial at Amos Anderson Art Museum, Helsinki and Artist of the Year at Deutsche Bank Kunsthalle, among many others. He has been included in group exhibitions at the University of Texas Art Museum, Austin; Serpentine Gallery, London; Galerie Anhava, Helsinki; Kunsthaus Hamburg; Beijing Biennial (2003); 6th Nordic Biennial of Contemporary Art, Momentum Kunsthalle, Moss, Norway; and many others. His work is in the collections of Albertina, Vienna; Contemporary Art Museum, Tampere; Gothenburg Art Museum; Helsinki Art Museum; Joseph Albers Museum, Bottrop; Stedelijk Museum Schiedam; and numerous other public and private collections. Kujasalo lives and works in Helsinki.

YW