PerViktor Hjalmarsson

Vilma Määttänen

Vilma Määttänen produces pigments from the materials in her surroundings. She collects minerals and plants both from forests and fields and even from the outskirts of cities and wastelands. She has examined several binding mediums in her paintings, such as oil, yolk and beeswax. The cooperation with chickens and bees is part of her artistic practice, the same way as growing plants for her dyestuff. Määttänen’s work plays with the perspective where the position of humans in the center of everything is cracking and faltering. The self produced pigments and binding mediums create material connections back to the soil. Pigments made from plants fade over time due to the effects of light. 

In addition to her painting practice, she is part of a long term collaborative sculpture called The Moving Castle, which currently exists in Lohja, Finland. The collaboration deals with questions of improvisational, inclusive ways of being in a place and how that relates to regulations and bureaucracy. The Moving Castle has been a home for humans and smaller animals like mice, birds and insects. As a constantly transforming sculpture, the act of living in it has been part of the artwork, but it also carries a societal dimension. The sculpture is shown in various forms, such as in communication with local building officers, art exhibitions, communal projects, and as a starting point for discussion events. 

Määttänen received her master’s degree in Fine Arts at the Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki in 2019.

Location

Uusimaa

Born

1989

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Featured artwork

The QueenVilma Määttänen, The Queen, Beeswax, ca 10 cm x ca 20 cm x ca 10 cm ,2022. Photo: Vilma Määttänen.

What happened then? Tale of the Moving CastleVilma Määttänen, What happened then? Tale of the Moving Castle, Photograph on paper, 80 cm x 60 cm ,2022. Photo: Vilma Määttänen.

What happened then? Tale of the Moving CastleVilma Määttänen, What happened then? Tale of the Moving Castle, Exhibition view / Kotka Art 2022 /Galleria Uusikuva (FI), 2022. Photo: Vilma Määttänen.

Light Cycle from The Moving CastleVilma Määttänen, Light Cycle from The Moving Castle, tempera and self made pigments on board, 30 cm x 30 cm ,2021. Photo: Vilma Määttänen.

Light Cycle from The Moving Castle IIVilma Määttänen, Light Cycle from The Moving Castle II, tempera and self made pigments on board, 30 cm x 30 cm ,2021. Photo: Vilma Määttänen.

Light Cycle from The Moving castle IIIVilma Määttänen, Light Cycle from The Moving castle III, Tempera and self made pigments on board, 30 cm x 30 cm ,2021. Photo: Vilma Määttänen.

The Moving Castle 2020Vilma Määttänen, The Moving Castle 2020, Self made pigments and tempera on linen, 147 cm x 102 cm ,2020. Photo: Vilma Määttänen.

bathVilma Määttänen, bath, Selfmade pigments, binding medium tragacanth, 30 cm x 30 cm ,2020. Photo: Vilma Määttänen.

AprilVilma Määttänen, April, tempera, beeswax and selfmade pigments i.e. soot, fern, stone and spruce needle, 102 cm x 148 cm ,2019. Photo: Erkki Määttänen.

OutVilma Määttänen, Out, tempera and self made pigments on linen, 80,5 cm x 60,5 cm ,2019. Photo: Marko Kettunen.

AutumnVilma Määttänen, Autumn, tempera and self made pigments on linen, 80,5 cm x 60,5 cm ,2019. Photo: Marko Kettunen.

SpringVilma Määttänen, Spring, tempera and self made pigments on linen, 80,5 cm x 60,5 cm ,2019. Photo: Marko Kettunen.

Curriculum Vitae

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