Chart Art Fair

Rauha Mäkilä and Camilla Vuorenmaa are of the same generation and have studied together at the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts. Both artists work with themes surrounding the questions of humanity, and what it means to be human, both in relation to the everyday and the otherworldly. Mäkilä and Vuorenmaa work in figurative painting, but with different starting points. 

Mäkilä departs from everyday situations and popular culture imagery. Mostly her bright paintings feature a human figure, may it be a portrait of her daughter or Frank Ocean. Lived everyday moments are interpreted in Mäkilä’s works as candidly as children process life’s essential questions in their play. In the new and recent body of work Mäkilä’s palette has introduced hues of softer pink, mint greens and blues, and momentariness appears in the light and airy brush strokes in her acrylic paintings.

The basis of Vuorenmaa works are stories, in which she depicts people and humanity. In her most recent body of work she explores the Spiritualist movement and clairvoyance. The stories come to life through portraits of humans and animals. The characters – fierce, creepy, strange and mischievous – occupy the centre of the paintings. The figures are open to interpretation; we project our own imaginings into the picture and construct a story around it. In her practice Vuorenmaa challenges the physical and traditional boundaries of painting. Her carved wood paintings are hybrids of sculpture and painting that require time and physical strength to create. The style is rough and unvarnished, endowed with a playful decorativeness, the palette rich and striking.

All the works by Mäkilä and Vourenmaa have been newly created for Chart 2020.
 

Rauha Mäkilä. Born 1980 Helsinki, Finland. Lives and works in Helsinki.
Mäkilä’s works are represented in major collections such as Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, Saastamoinen Foundation and the City of Gothenburg Art Collection. She has participated in curated exhibitions at Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, EMMA Espoo Museum of Modern Art, Kunsthalle Helsinki and Landskrona Museum.

Camilla Vuorenmaa. Born 1979 Tampere, Finland. Lives and works in Helsinki.
Vuorenmaa has been nominated for Ars Fennica, she has won the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts Prize and the Solo Award of the Spring Exhibition in Copenhagen. She is represented in collections such as the Gothenburg Art Museum, Saastamoinen Foundation. Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma and Helsinki Art Museum.

Helsinki Contemporary’s team is happy to answer any questions. You can find our contact information here: https://helsinkicontemporary.com/about/contact-us