“At the moment, I’m interested in the idea of emptiness in the painting. At its best, when I feel that I have succeeded with a work, I have been able to make the painting complete in a way that it becomes empty: none of the elements in the work stick out or annoy the viewer. Everything lives together – form and color speak to each other in harmony, creating something that strikes a balance between substance and emptiness.” (Continues…)
Liisa Vääriskoski is a Helsinki based visual artist who combines photography, graphic design, video, theatre, sound and dance in her art. She is the director and leading-lady in her collage-like, often fragmented scenarios. Her art is not openly political, but she challenges her audience to question standards, to open their eyes, and to take part. (Continues…)
“I avoid the obvious. When something occurs, I pay attention to the void surrounding the event. The void, the unknown and its mystery is always there beneath the surface. I try to frame the details that reveal its omnipresence. These details are never obvious; they are found where you don’t expect them.” (Continues…)
Elina Ruohonen’s current exhibition, Vallanjako, is a vision of a future with renewed power structures on this planet. The human race is no longer in charge; instead the plants and animals rule. Ruohonen’s works are about everything organic. The exhibition is a plea for the living nature – a study of human and plant hybrids. Her focus has been on the versatile shapes of nature, and the possible mutations between different species. (Continues…)
Hanna-Kaisa Korolainen’s current exhibition The House of Play and Rain at Lokal Helsinki is the first in a series of three exhibitions, as part of her doctoral studies at Aalto University. Her subjects are mostly flora or fauna, but the techniques vary. There is a lot of research behind Korolainen’s work. Designing textiles is time consuming. “Sketching is the heart of everything; it is the decisive moment of the process. I try to work as much as possible with my hands, and as little as possible with the computer.” (Continues…)
Designer Laura Väinölä and contemporary artist Karoliina Hellberg opened their first joint exhibition recently at Finlandinstitutet in Stockholm. In their exhibition, titled Tower of Presence, they create a mystical, nostalgic and fascinating story about a fictional person through whom we can identify our own memories and associations. The artists reveal captions of the character’s life in an installation made of flowers, piles of paper, paintings, pottery, carpet, curtains, light and sound. Even the scent of the flowers is part of the ambiance. (Continues…)
The art and photography collective Kosminen, meaning cosmic, consists of four photographer friends Anna Niskanen, Helen Korpak, Liina Aalto-Setälä and Lotta Blomberg. For the most part Kosminen is a workspace for the collective, but three days a week it is also a gallery, bookshop and library. (Continues…)
Jenni Hiltunen’s work has a dynamic, beautiful and arresting allure that demands your attention. You want to know what is behind that piercing gaze and imposing pose of the often androgynous, humane, striking and exquisitely dressed women she portrays. “With my new work I pursued for an authenticity in the expression – in the process of painting itself.” (Continues…)
The importance of craft is key within slow fashion bag brand NO/AN. Founder and designer Anna Lehmusniemi wants to be transparent about her work and bring the customers closer to the manufacturing process. “But it is not the only reason that I wanted the artisans to sign the bags they hand produced. It is also a way for me to show appreciation for the talented people making the bags.” (Continues…)
Juslin Maunula brand is not only wearable products but also a full 3-dimensional experience, that includes the products and the space created around them. “We want our collection, as well as the accessories and installations, to have an element of surprise. Our latest collection started from the idea of bubble wrap. We used it in our installation and in the collection. Our manufacturer weaved us a fabric that looks like bubble wrap.” (Continues…)
