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Art work is painful and at the same time the most wonderful thing I know. The work is intense and requires such complete concentration that everything else is forgotten. I sometimes feel I dive in colors, they are so fascinating and give me joy and comfort.
Leena Vainio
visual artist MA
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This artistic investigation began with stories from my own family and has continued for several years. The works explore themes of identity, roots, belonging and home.
They reflect on the fragility and transience of memory, and on the importance of preserving stories before they fade from living memory.
Abandonment and loss evoke nostalgia, sadness, and even anger, while also giving rise to an intense longing for beauty. At the heart of the works is a sense of transience and the complex emotions it evokes. These themes are approached through diverse techniques, each offering a different perspective on memory, loss, and longing.
I explore the fragile and enduring nature of early childhood memories. The works emerge from recollections intertwined with old objects, photographs, and familiar landscapes—fragments through which the past is remembered, reconstructed, and given new meaning. Together, they trace the shifting boundaries between memory and materiality, between what is remembered and what remains.
In life and art, at the core are renunciation and beauty. Hope and light and joy lie within that space.
Collaborating with dancers, musicians, and photographers brings new layers and perspectives to my practice. These encounters open up new ways of seeing and thinking, while offering a sense of variation and dialogue within the otherwise solitary nature of my work. Through collaboration, I continue to learn, discover, and expand my artistic practice.
Some interviews as well as recent magazine articles
I create various commissioned works, such as portraits, ceramic sculptures, and textile art pieces.
