NURIA MARIA

This show is a homage to being in Finland at the summerhouse.

Some paintings are inspired by the words our Finnish cousins used to teach us when we were kids: The basal character of my very limited Finnish ‘vocabulary’ unveils a world that is easy and uncomplicated. A beautiful summer life, focused on the nature around.

Shall we go swimming?/Mennäänkö uimaan?, beach/ranta, stones/kivet, food/ruokaa , good/hyvä , bread/leippää , boat/vene, sun/aurinko, water/vesi, house/koti , sauna , grass/ruoho, strawberrie/mansikka , dog/koira , stop/lopettaa , bison rat/biisoni rotta, etc.

It is a kind of life that focusses on basic actions. Chopping wood, making fire, washing in the sauna, night swims in the calm water. They work incredibly peaceful. Especially while being surrounded by the typical Northern nature, where everything feels fresh, clean and untouched. There is also a great melancholy in the landscape and in the light. The land is simultaneously soft and hard. The granite ground. The rough winters. The soft summers. The fresh air.

The repeating patterns in the paintings give a hint of the patterns of the Finnish design brand Marimekko. The classic stripes, flowers and stone-like forms are an indelible image in Finnish culture. In daily life you can’t go around the recognisable prints that show up everywhere. I can’t imagine not linking it to the country or the country to it.

‘NORTH –MENNÄÄNKÖ UIMAAN’ is a grasp of images out of a Finnish summer and traveling through Scandinavia. A homage to a magical country.