Since forever have women been the subject of great art, but rarely were we allowed to create great art. As I am a female artist in the 21st Century, I look to my female idols for guidance and inspiration even though the current society we live in is trying to convince me that the women I admire, do not matter because they are/were beautiful and successful. My goal as a female artist is to explore this dichotomy between my female heroines’ pop culture images and their true stories. Why do we love to turn women into legends just to tear them down either publicly or privately?
From Marie Antoinette to Miley Cyrus, the women I paint have inspired me either stylistically or spiritually, and while I wish to highlight the candy-colored image pop culture has given them, I am aware of the darkness that lurks behind the fun.
As a Finn, I grew up on satire, dark humor, and happy endings and that is well reflected in my work. At first glance, my cartoonish mixed media paintings may depict my subject’s pop culture image perfectly, which is usually colorful, ditzy, and lacking in substance, but I am actually satirizing our perceptions of my female heroines. We are all guilty of prioritizing a person’s image over the narrative.
I choose to work with acrylics and glitters because their vibrant hues and textures are well suited for creating eye-catching artworks that are unique to me, and perfect for the subject matter. Just like the women I paint, I am an unconventional woman in the eyes of my society and with my art practice I want to invite viewers to look past the glittering images and see the depth and complexity of the women I paint, myself included.
