Milja Ilona Salonen ^{Emerging artist}

Artist's country of origin: Finland

I am a sculptor from Central Uusimaa. I work with many different materials, but wood is the one that repeatedly draws me to it. The center of my work is the body; expressive figure. It has become the most natural means of expression for me, because for me the body is the one through which we experience, create our world and ourselves. I am attracted by the expressive power of figurativeness and the opportunity it offers to convey emotional states and experiences through physicality. I am interested in the relatability of my own personal experience; how we can reach the viewer and create a contact surface by turning inward, to ourselves. Physicality also becomes a part of the process itself, because the physicality of the sculpture itself inevitably forms part of the work and expression. ​ In my work, I also want to give place to the stories offered by the material and open up new meanings through them. I want to create a kind of material freedom; instead of using a specific material, I work with the material, exploring its properties and making use of them.