9 June sees Åland Post’s issue of the 2022 stamp booklet Åland Contemporary presenting art by seven present-day Åland artists. To find the best selection of artwork, Åland Post was assisted by Susanne Procopé-Ilmonen of the Åland Art Museum and Leila Cromwell-Morgan Lönnroth of Gallery Skarpans. “I find it very positive that Åland Post has invested in this theme right now. Åland has a thriving art life with surprisingly many artists in a small population,” Leila Cromwell-Morgan Lönnroth says.

The term contemporary is used for all present-day or modern art, and the group decided to include only works from the last 20 years in the selection. “To me, it was important to highlight the breadth of today’s Åland art life, of course, also in terms of gender and age. And to produce an appealing booklet in which the works function individually and as a whole. I’ve learned that not all works are suitable for the small format,” Leila Cromwell-Morgan Lönnroth says.

Susanne Procopé-Ilmonen adds: “It was also important to present different techniques such as sculpture, photography, painting, graphics, and textile art. It was rewarding to be part of the working group, and we had interesting discussions about what is currently happening in the Åland art scene and how we could convey this in our selection. We have an interesting art scene of younger and older artists with varying expressions. Nature motifs are popular, but they also depict sensitive and controversial topics, and Åland art thereby participates in the contemporary debate.”

Seven different stamps are included the booklet Åland Contemporary. The works of art included are from above:

Tiina Tahvanainen: Åland originals, Borghill Lindholm, photo, 2007
Gunnar Sjöblom: Japanese lantern, photopolymer engraving, 2008
Kurt Simons: Augur I, geometric abstraction, acrylic on canvas, 2010
Minna Öberg: #sniffingaround3, oil on panel, 2019
Barbro Eriksson: Sacrificial cardigan, concept art, mixed media, embroidery & crochet, 2021
Erica Signell: All over the place, oil & acrylic, 2018
Johan Karlsson: Rooster, sculpture, scrap metal, 2019

Name of issue: Åland contemporary

Date of issue 9 June 2022
Artists Barbro Eriksson, Johan Karlsson, Erica Signell, Kurt Simons, Gunnar Sjöblom, Tiina Tahvanainen & Minna Öberg
Design Johanna Finne
Photo & repro Kjell Söderlund
Edition 25 000 booklets
Denomination 7×€3.20
Price FDC €23.40
Stamp sizes 31×28,5 mm, 31×40,5 mm, 62×41 mm
Size folded booklet 62×84 mm
Paper 110 g/m²
Perforation 13 per 2 cm
Process 5-colour offset
Printer Cartor Security Printing 

Order the booklet and first day cover at webshop.alandpost.com, by post to Åland Post Stamps, P.O. box 1100, AX-22111 Mariehamn, Åland, Finland, e-mail stamps(a)alandpost.com or telephone: +358 18636641.