Rainbow magic

Rainbow Magic - Tatu Vuolteenaho, Jani Maunula, Nadja Mikkilä, Tinttu Henttonen, and House of Disappointments: Paintings, Textile Art, and Queer Magic

Last year, I had the opportunity to be part of my cousin Tatu's exhibition, Rainbow Magic, which was held at Galleria Aarni, located in Espoo's Sello shopping center. The exhibition was a deep dive into the spirituality and culture of the queer community.

In Western gay culture, materialism often takes center stage, while spirituality can sometimes be overlooked. Rainbow Magic was a refreshing exception, offering an entirely different perspective: an exploration of the spiritual dimensions of the queer community through art. The exhibition illuminated deeper meanings and identities.

Tatu’s Queer Witches portrait series, were full of mysticism, strength, and self-acceptance, presenting a new way to perceive queer identity as part of something larger and more magical. The exhibition also showcased Eye-Leen self-portraits, offering an even more intimate glimpse into self-reflection and queer identity. Eye-Leen's art was also incorporated into textiles designed by Jani Maunula, which were used to create an immersive room at the heart of the exhibition.

The opening night featured a performance by the House of Disappointments ballroom group, adding a dash of spectacle and energy to the event. Ballroom culture is a significant part of queer history, and its inclusion in the opening was a tribute to this cultural legacy.

Galleria Aarni turned out to be an ideal venue for the exhibition. The spacious, beautifully lit gallery did justice to the works on display. The opening night was a success, with a warm and communal atmosphere. Every element of the exhibition felt carefully considered and elegantly executed. I’m grateful I had the chance to be part of such a unique exhibition.

‘Seascapes and creatures of ​the sea’ 21.10.2024-27.10.2024

UPCOMING SOLO EXHIBITION 21.10 - 27.10.2024:

Koola Art Space (Helsinki): ‘Seascapes and creatures of ​the sea’

Nadja Mikkilä, born in 1981 in Hamburg, Germany, is an artist now living in Vihti, Finland. ​She began her artistic journey at the Hamburg Academy of Design. Her passion lies in ​traditional painting and drawing, particularly in creating abstract landscapes and detailed ​depictions of animals.

Nadja’s landscape paintings are personal, often inspired by dreams and emotions. Having ​moved frequently and lived in various cities, she draws from these experiences to capture ​fleeting moments and moods in her work.

Animals have always been a central theme in Nadja’s art. From childhood to the present ​day, she has been captivated by the natural world, with a particular focus on portraying ​animals with care and detail. In a time when climate change and animal extinction are ​pressing concerns, Nadja’s work highlights the significance and unique character of animals, ​whether they are part of our everyday world or something more fantastical.

The exhibition features a series of abstract landscapes and detailed drawings, where the ​majesty of the sea merges with its inhabitants—both real and imagined. The abstract ​seascapes in the exhibition convey the vastness and power of the ocean’s storms, capturing ​its ever-changing moods.

Alongside these landscapes are intricate depictions of marine creatures, which are partly ​real and partly mythical. Through these works, viewers are invited to dive into the endlessly ​wondrous sea, a realm that remains largely mythical and unknown to us humans.

Rajamailla - solo exhibition

so last year I was given the opportunity to have a solo gallery show at the Tila gallery in the city center of Helsinki. The location was great and I'm so grateful to everybody who managed to come to the gallery! Here is my previous post about the gallery theme: https://nadja-art.blogspot.com/2023/04/in-borderlands-rajamailla-solo.html Unfortunately I had a hand injury just a few months before the show so not all planned paintings made it to the gallery but I managed to pull of a nice gallery anyway and sold several original pieces!

Year 2023

Last year was a bit of a bummer for my art journey. My wrist decided to take a vacation in March (I got tendonitis and also slipped on ice with the injured hand and everything got worse). I was not able to create much new art and was left with just a handful of small drawings done with my injured hand.  On the bright side,  I discovered a new talent – using my left hand for everyday tasks! 😅

Despite the wrist drama, I still managed to pull off three art exhibitions (well, they were all planned beforehand...before THAT hand drama). I was also able to throw three epic burlesque events with my partner in crime, Hanna, and even cooked up a new solo performance. Who said art can't be a rollercoaster ride?

In the borderlands (Rajamailla) solo exhibition

I'm about to have my first ever solo exhibiton next week. 

Here is info about it in finnish: 

 Rajamailla-näyttely 

Näyttelyni käsittelee rajamailla olemista - tilaa kahden seikan välissä. Rajatilat voivat olla fyysisiä, kuten kaksi erilaista ympäristöä, mutta myös henkisiä, kuten unen ja valvetilan rajat, hämärän sekä mielen rajat. Tämä näyttely tutkii erilaisia rajatiloja, joita voimme kohdata elämämme aikana. Viime vuosina koko maailma on ollut jatkuvan muutoksen kourissa, ja jokainen meistä on joutunut kohtaamaan omat pelkonsa ja haasteensa. Me olemme kaikki käyneet omilla rajoillamme, ja tämä näyttely heijastaa tätä kokemusta visuaalisina mielenmaisemina. Näyttelyn teokset ovat pääasiassa maisemia, synkkiä metsiä, heijastuksia vedessä, sadetta ja usvaa - ne kuvastavat liikkumista oman mielen syvyyksien rajamailla. Käytän maisemia ja luontoa symbolisesti kuvastamaan tunteita, joita rajatilojen kohtaaminen voi herättää. Itselleni luonto on tärkeää ja sen merkitys on viime vuosikymmenen aikana korostunut vielä enemmän sen ollessa uhattuna. Oman seesteisyyden ja tyynen mielentilan löydän parhaiten metsässä liikkuessa. 

 here is my translation: 

In the borderlands exhibition 

My exhibition deals with being on the borderlands - the space between two things. Boundary states can be physical, such as two different environments, but also mental, such as the boundaries of sleep and wakefulness, the boundaries of twilight and the mind. This exhibition explores the different boundaries we can encounter in our lifetime. In recent years, the whole world has been in the grip of constant change, and each of us has had to face our own fears and challenges. We've all been at our own limits and boundaries, and this exhibition reflects that experience as visual mindscapes. The works in the exhibition are mainly landscapes, dark forests, reflections in water, rain and fog - they reflect movement in the borderlands of the depths of one's own mind. I use landscapes and nature symbolically to reflect the feelings that encountering borderlands can evoke. Nature is important to me and its importance has been emphasized even more during the last decade when it is threatened. I find my own serenity and peaceful state of mind best when moving in the forest. 

Sorry, the english translation is a bit clumsy. Originally "Rajamailla" is a bit of a word game in my languge. It means being on the edge of something as well as being in borderlands. Translations are a tricky thing!

Art during lockdown

The covid years were difficult time for me. I had a new job as an IT consultant and several customers and demanding projects. A global pandemic and some isolation from the rest of the world and difficulties with this and that. 

BUT! despite that I managed to do art and had some exhibitions and sold several paintings. Art is always the best getaway :)

Below iis a pic of me and my daugther at Galleria Fogga Veden Varassa exhibition in Sptember 2021

and this drawing of a tired baby bird describes my covid feelings the best :D 

Back to painting!

It was great to have an exhibition again! It was of course weird in these weird times as well. There was no exhibition opening like usually because of covid-19. For me this exhibition was however a great motivation to get back to painting. I've had an almost 3 years break in painting. 

When my daughter was born I was very inspired to do paintings' and I created some of my best work. When she grew up a bit more life became however so busy that I rather started to do drawings than paintings. Paintings make a mess and take several hours. Drawings are much easier and less messy. You can work on a drawing for 30min and put it aside and continue later. 

So due to the busy life with my wonderful daughter my paintings have been a bit on a break. Now she is however bigger and we can even paint together. She often does her drawings or own little paintings while I am painting :)

Thank you everybody who came to the exhibition and I'm very happy that some of my work found a new home! Thank you once again Galleria Fogga! See upcoming exhibitions at: www.fogga.fi 

Exhibition at the Fogga Gallery

I'm participating in a group show again! The theme is "symbolism of water".

Opening hours and more info about the gallery: https://fogga.fi/

Art book publication: Black and White: vol 5

I'm very proud that my art is featured in the "Black and White: Volume 5" book by Out Of Step Books. The book features some of the best black and white artwork/line drawings from artists from around the world. I'm so happy to be among such a bunch of amazing artists! 

Shout it out for Hobos vol.4

This year I'm participating again in this rescue dog charity auction. You can see the auctioned items here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ShoutitOutvol.4/

Rescue dogs and animals in general are close to my heart 😻 
I have donated some art prints for the auction. 

more about Kulkurit ry: https://kulkurit.fi/

Twin Peaks UK festival 2019 art gallery

"Where we're from, the birds sing a pretty song and there's always music in the air"

I'm very happy to announce that my Twin Peaks bird trilogy drawings will be on display next weekend 5th & 6th October 2019 at the Twin Peaks UK Festival in London at the Stoke Newington Town Hall. The event has a whole art gallery dedicated to Twin Peaks inspired art. The Twin Peaks UK Festival is officially licensed by Twin Peaks Productions.

I'm a big Twin Peaks fan myself. Have been since I was 13 years old and the series came out originally. This is also the first time that my art is on display in the United Kingdom, so this is awesome to me on many levels :)

https://www.twinpeaksukfestival.com/

Garden of death

Hemulen in the garden of death.

Combining two of my favorit artists in this picture; Tove Jansson and Hugo Simberg.

Tove Jansson (1914 -2001) is one of the best known artist from Finland.
She was a multi-talented artist and author who is mostly remembered as a creator of the Moomins.
The weird and friendly garden enthusiastic Hemulen is one of my favorit characters.

Hugo Simberg (1873 -1917) was a significant symbolic painter and graphic artist from Finland.
Angels, demons and death played a big role in his art. His tender and humorous images of death invites the viewer to consider mortality in a new light.

Animal skull mandala

Lately I've been doing some animal skull mandalas. Here is a sample, a bird skull mandala. There will be lots more. I upload my art usually first on Instagram on my new digital account: https://www.instagram.com/nadja_digi/

Small update on my previous post :) I've already sold a lot of prints and several originals at the Mikä-art store in the beautiful Fiskars village! Fiskars village is one of my favorite places in South Finland. It's full of interesting stores and the location is historical and absolutely beautiful.

One day and two gallery openings

Today was a super art day! I had two gallery openings on one day! I've been doing a lot of animal ink drawings these past two years and now most of them are on display at the library of Nummela. There is also a new art store at the beautiful Fiskars village called Mikä Art. There are now original paintings and drawing for sale and a few prints as well. I'm so happy for all these opportunities to show my art!

Working for Wacom

Last week I worked at the camera fare in Helsinki for Wacom. What a fun job opportunity, since it was sort of a combination of my skills. I have apart from art also a degree in information technology. Wacom products are high end technology products for creative people. I also have my own Wacom pen display at home and lately I've been working on digital art with both Photoshop and Illustrator.

New digital art is in progress!