Window №6. In this artwork, I refer to the “Liberty Leading the People” painting by the French artist Eugène Delacroix (1830).
Window №5. In this acrylic painting the point of reference is the Spanish painter Francisco Goya`s artwork named “The Third of May 1808 in Madrid”, completed in 1814.
Window №3. In this artwork I refer to the “Burning the Brushwood” painting by Finnish artist Eero Järnefelt (1893).
Window №7. In this artwork I refer to the Pieter Brueghel the Younger's "The Four Seasons. Summer" painting.
Window №4. In this artwork I refer to the “Conveying the Child's Coffin” (A Child's Funeral) painting by Finnish painter Albert Edelfelt completed in 1879.
Window №1. In this painting I refer to the “Barge Haulers on the Volga” or “Burlaki on the Volga”— painting by Russian artist Ilya Repin(1870–1873).
Window №2. In this artwork I use a reference to Pieter Bruegel’s The Blind Leading the Blind (1568).
In the “Window” series the image of the window is central. After having been diagnosed a few years ago with Autism Spectrum Disorder, I now can better understand my peculiarities which I had previously not found an explanation for. My paintings serve as a window into my inner world, representing both my means of observing and understanding the external world and my way of sharing myself with others, allowing me to connect in a way that feels genuine and true.
In this series, however, the window is not just a threshold between the inner and outer, or the private and public. I use the window as a shifting gateway to the world of the past and do reflect on the differences, similarities and interconnections of past and present divided by the window. Thus, I explore the duality of past and present, merging two worlds and mixing different historical and social contexts to uncover new layers of meanings. Through this dialogue between past and present, I am able to reflect on both personal and collective experiences and memories.
When I started showing my artworks to different audiences, I noticed that the works of, for example, Finnish artists are not very well-known outside of Finland, and the works of Russian masters are often unfamiliar to the European audience. That's when I decided that it would be appropriate to provide a list of paintings I made references to while working on this series.