Oskari Kaarne (Samu Oskari Kotilainen, born in 1997) is a Finnish-Karelian multidisciplinary artist specializing in ritualistic art. Actively engaged in various creative endeavours, Kaarne collaborates with diverse ensembles and projects, working as a curator, director, choreographer, dramaturg, performer and lighting/video designer.

Kaarne’s career as a freelance artist began during his studies at Oulu University of Applied Sciences, where he pursued a Bachelor in Culture and Arts in Dance Pedagogy – Specializing in Finnish and Karelian folk dances and art production. Later on he completed Master’s of Art (Theater & Drama) at the Uniarts Helsinki / Theatre Academy with a specialization in Lighting Design, Ritualistic Theatre and Choreography.

Deeply rooted in Eastern Finland and the Karelia, Kaarne grew up immersed in Karelian folklore, music, and dance, shaping the rhythmic and mythological foundation of his artistic vision. Drawing inspiration from his heritage, Kaarne combines nature-based trance-inducing practises with his multidisciplinary methods of theatre, to create carefully crafted multisensory environments that guide audiences on ritualistic journeys.

Kaarnes work can be seen as a form of heritage activism and decolonizing exploration of the western mind: finding re-attunement to the local ecologies, multigenerational wisdom, more-than-human-nature and deep-ecological imagination.