Henni Alftan

Published in 2019 by Karma, this monograph serves as a comprehensive introduction to the precise, enigmatic paintings of Finnish artist Henni Alftan. Created to coincide with her rising profile in the contemporary art world, the book documents a body of work defined by its focus on fragments—a collar, a window, or a hand—that suggest larger, unseen narratives. The publication offers a formal look at her approach, which often involves cropping mundane imagery to create psychological tension and a sense of filmic stillness.

The design of the volume reflects the spare, deliberate quality of Alftan's practice, emphasizing the starkness of her palette and the clean geometry of her compositions. Alftan, who trained at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, has been widely lauded for her ability to strip away the superfluous, leaving viewers to engage with the essential mechanics of sight. Since its release, the book has become a key reference for those following her development as a prominent voice in contemporary representational painting.