OUR MEMBERS
Search alphabetically by surname or browse and get to know our talented community of members
MIISA KALLIO
PAINTER, ILLUSTRATOR, ANIMATOR
Finnish artist and animator. Miisa makes stories, digital art, animation, and traditional art.
She mostly uses gouache and watercolors, also ink and pencils.
Miisa’s favorite things are antiques, flowers, botanical gardens, sea and its wonders, old books (especially old art and anatomy/plant study books), birds and moths.
"My goal is to spread happiness and inspiration to others through my stories. I want to show people that everything is beautiful if you look closely enough, even in the simplest things. My art is inspired by nature, antiques, and botanical studies.”
VIVITA KAUPERE
MICROMACRAME ARTIST
Vivita Kaupere is from Latvia, now living in Finland. She has a great interest in Arts & Crafts, a background in cultural studies, and she is a recent graduate from Aalto University’s MA program Nordic Visual Studies and Art Education.
"I identify myself as Micromacrame artist / Jewelry designer / Visual artist / Artist Educator. I have established my own business ViviCreates in arts & culture field. I provide creative workshops and hobby groups for children and their families. Also, I run my own jewelry brand ViviKnots, that stands for unique & colourful handmade micromacrame wearable art."
MIRKA KEINI
Mira Mink
ART AND POETRY, TEACHER, MA
Mira Mink is a Helsinki-based visual artist, writer, teacher, producer and poet (MA, teacher). Mink has published five self-published works.
She has also worked in other areas, such as art exhibitions and combining music with poetry in performances and open stage events. The factor behind the artist's work is the joy of writing and the promotion of learning.
Artworks:
The artwork explores authorship through filming and texts. The illustrations that fit into everyday life create new meanings. The details, the street and nature embody Mira Mink's urban art.
SOFIIA KHADZHYNOVA
Painting (oil painting), graphic (lino print, dry point)
«Memories of the past can slow down the feeling of the present moment. Even in a temporary state there is something permanent - our feelings, memories and experiences.»
Sofiia is an artist-painter born in 2003 in Mariupol, Ukraine. With a passion for art cultivated since early childhood, she draws inspiration from cartoons, video games, and anime. In 2021, Sofiia enrolled at the Kharkiv State Academy of Design and Arts, specializing in painting.
Following the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Sofiia relocated to Poland a month later, participating in the Erasmus+ student exchange program at the University of Jan Kokhanovskyi.
In 2023, Sofiia achieved recognition as a Finalist in the 7th МАЛЮЙ.UA International Art Festival. Her works were showcased in an exhibition at the Central Park of Culture and Recreation in Kyiv and featured in the Exhibition Pool.
Her paintings were at collective exhibitions in Vienna (Austria), Krakow (Poland), Athens (Greece), Amsterdam (Netherlands).
In April 2024, She began an artistic residency at La Maltida Estampa. During the residency, she explored themes of war, emigration, violence and my own experiences. She completed my residency and gave an Artist Talk to a small audience and demonstrated my practice.
Proficient in oil painting, graphics, linocut, and digital art using a graphics tablet, Sofiia currently resides in Finland.
ALEX KOLLEROVÁ
HIAA ADVISORY BOARD
Alex Kollerová (born 1991 in Bratislava, Slovakia) is a cultural producer and curator currently based in Helsinki, Finland. In 2018, Alex completed their higher education in Humanities and Art History at Birkbeck, University of London. To commence their career, Alex served as a curatorial intern at the P21 Gallery, a London-based charitable trust dedicated to promoting contemporary Arab art and culture.
Residing in Helsinki since 2018, Alex has cultivated collaborations with various local entities, fostering robust connections and establishing a solid presence in the Helsinki art scene. Since the summer of 2020, Alex has been working at Globe Art Point, advocating for cultural equity, diversity, and the inclusion of international professionals in the arts and culture sector. In addition to their advocacy work, Alex serves as the chairperson of the Helsinki International Artists' Association and holds a curator position at the studio residency Kunsthaus Jägermeister.
Alex is fascinated by art forms that are non-confirmative and stand outside of the context of traditional art venues. They are particularly drawn to experimental, avant-garde, and cross-disciplinary artforms that challenge viewers and seek to push the boundaries of mainstream art. Through their work, Alex interrogates preconceived notions of art, examining how these notions have evolved over time and been influenced by socio-political contexts. Alex firmly believes that audiences possess the power to shape the trajectory of contemporary art making by encouraging critical questions about fundamental concepts such as: What is art? Who has the agency to create art, and who determines what qualifies as art?
Alex gives 'all good' vibes to a f HIAA Fest 2023 participant.
Studio residency Kunsthaus Jägermeister 2023
HIAA BOARD (2023) having concluded a successful Summer Market (Kansalaistori)
OLESIA KOMAROVA
MULTIDISCIPLINARY ARTIST
Olesia Komarova is a Turku-based multidisciplinary artist from Russia with background in teaching and charity projects management, whose work is inspired by the beauty of natural things, including things most people see no beauty in, such as mental health issues and neurodivergent minds.
Using traditional media: watercolours, ink, and pencils, the artworks tell visual stories about pressing issues that although are talked about widely do not get addressed properly.
Combining realism and fantasy, the artworks let the viewer step into the shoes of those, whose shoes we do not want to be in, aiming to inspire the viewer to take action to preserve and grow the beauty of peaceful and mindful existence.
Olesia’s artworks have been shortlisted for international illustration contests in Russia and Serbia, as well as exhibited in Finland and the UK.
MAGDALENA KOSOVÁ
ANALOGUE PHOTOGRAPHY, PRINTS
Magdalena Kosová (1986) is a researcher and visualist for whom art is an essential form of exploration.
Working with analogue photography, collage from reclaimed materials, and various printing techniques, she distils basic shapes and essences to examine the interplay of various societal aspects, forces and emotions. Her practice also extends to photography as a method of ethnographic inquiry, using visual narratives to uncover deeper social and spatial dynamics.
ARJA KOSSILA-KARJALAINEN
(Arja Kossila)
BEADED & MICRO-MACRAME JEWELRY ARTIST
Behind the ArjaKo’s logo is a person with the soul of an artist, who years ago switched art brushes and colors to thin threads, beads and other jewelry accessories, when I completely fell in love with the diverse world of micro-macrame jewelry.
Making and knotting jewelry is above all a creative process for me; like a continuation of my previous artistic passions – porcelain and watercolor painting – but now producing objects for accessory use. The starting point can be just a small idea, from which the work progresses improvising. This way, each piece of my jewelry is different, unique.
I make micro-macrame jewelry from thin threads using a centuries-old lace technique, where patterns are formed only by combining different knots. As an addition, I use a lot of beads, and gemstones or wood. My own innovation is “hybrid jewelry”, where I combine two different techniques: beadwork and macrame knotting.
Previously I also made larger macrame textiles like wall hangings. For variety, I might still do them sometimes, because all this is very therapeutic when I can just let my creativity flow.
LINN KUITUNEN (LINNKAY)
AUDIOVISUALS AND PAINTING
Linnkay is a Finnish multimedia artist with a unique cultural background. She spent 10 years growing up in France before returning to Helsinki. Later, Linnkay moved to Berlin to study Graphic Design and Visual Communication, where she developed a deep passion for animation, motion graphics, and film.
Linnkay's artistic journey through fine arts, graphic design, and living in different countries has shaped her perspective and added new depth to her work. She enjoys working with various media, surfaces, and techniques, creating art that is often abstract with a hint of realism. Her artworks tend to visualize emotions, evoking a sense of constant movement.
SINI KUNNAS
WATER PAINTER, PERFORMANCE, ACRYLIC PAINTER, DRAWER
"Art is life energy - always in an evolving motion."
Born 1969. Lapland, Helsinki, Great Britain and United States. Over 1000 originals since debute 1998 in Helsinki, Artegrafica. Artist of many mediums. Manhattan art shows 2022 & 2023. Eva International Art Gallery private art show 13.2 - 3.3.2024 in Helsinki. Married, step mom and a known intuite. Recovered from the Covid vaccine influence to the joints in 2024 after two years of inability to paint. Oceans advocate and singer. Known for her use of black line, collages 2000-2009 and changing style of art creation. Art lecturer on painting skills by hands within the AI (artificial intelligence) times.
VERONIKA KVITKO (vegesent)
ACRYLLIC & MIXED MEDIA ARTIST
HIAA BOARD MEMBER - VICE-CHAIRPERSON
"I aim to explore the profound connection between humans and the environment, igniting a passion for its better care.
Recognizing the strength in collective impact, I believe every individual holds the power to make a difference.
My mission is to spark meaningful conversations and elevate awareness about ethical values and sustainability. I want to inspire people to reflect on their daily choices and understand their impact on the environment."
