VISUAL ARTIST: Emma Ainala

[FreakAnimalFinland]

I remembered I had idea to post some recommendations of artists that may not been noticed by everybody, and I thought I had already started topic or mentioned it, but when did search on forum, didn't see anything.
It was curious to talk to some people and notice nobody I talked to knew about works of Emma Ainala.

I am always a bit surprised about artists who are mostly visible in galleries and museums, but the audience who are passionate about art books, art zines etc... I have no idea if Ainala is featured in such things? Not to mention that some sort of anthology book would be amazing. Even the sketch books you can see in one of the video documentaries looks like I'd by printed version sketchbook in blink on an eye...

Emma Ainala is known for her intricate, detailed works that explore mythologies and a variety of spaces, both physical and digital – some even imagined. The human body, with its ambivalent gestures and expressions, is at the center of the works, being the object of the gaze and objectification are recurring themes. Her dreamlike paintings are at the same time very much in the present and contain references to art and cultural history. The thoughtful symbolism of the interiors of the works and the fragmented, dense surface enable several different interpretations and visits to parallel realities. Ainala's carefully stylized paintings are like performances of some unfinished and mysterious situation.

Emma Ainala (b. 1989, Helsinki, lives and works in Savonlinna, Finland) graduated from the Finnish Academy Fine Arts of Uniarts Helsinki in 2013. She had her first solo museum exhibition at Mikkeli Art Museum in 2017, followed by another one at Jyväskylä Art Museum in 2019, and Hyvinkää Art Museum in 2020. In spring 2018, she was invited to take part in the prestigious Spring Exhibition at Copenhagen's Kunsthalle Charlottenborg. Her works have been widely exhibited in Finland and in Europe. Her works are included in collections such as the art collection of the Saastamoinen Foundation, the Niemistö Collection and Mikkeli Art Museum's collection.

To get started, you can check out gallery at:
https://helsinkicontemporary.com/artist/emma-ainala

Her own site: https://www.emmaainala.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/emmaainala/


Documentary:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awoTRHDICAs

[XS]

Good work indeed, didn't know the artist. It reminds me of many artists who are represented by Tim Van Laere Gallery in Antwerp. Like Kati Heck, Dennis Tyfus, Marcel Dzama. It exudes the same atmosphere, only the themes and references are a bit different.