OUR MEMBERS
Search alphabetically by surname or browse and get to know our talented community of members
CHAN KA HEI
(Wusoul)
ILLUSTRATION
"living with our soul"
Wusoul is an illustrator with over ten years of experience. As an illustrator, he organized numerous exhibitions. Also teaching classes and workshops. And he has worked with numerous clients, both large and small businesses alike. And always active in the Hong Kong handicraft market.
Photo: Mindhk
VEERA SARA KARKKONEN
(Veera Romanoff)
MULTIDISCIPLINARY ARTIST AND ARCHITECT
"I believe in the power of color and the might of time. Color is my passion. My desire to paint inevitably transforms into an experiment with color. Time is the artist who constantly redraws the world. Time creates and erases all around, but my goal is to capture its ephemerality. Being both an artist and an architect and following the concept of metamodernism, I apply an interdisciplinary approach to my art. I draw ideas from the changing world in all my works, whether it be paintings, graphics, video art, or installations. I deliberately avoid clear definitions and disrupt integrity. I play with the stability of cultural heritage and the instability of contemporary art, striving to find a balance between cutting-edge technology and the preservation of classical artistic values. I transform my personal experiences into art objects. I hope that viewers will engage in a dialogue on perceptual variability and, ultimately, in philosophical reflection. I believe that this interaction will allow viewers to create their own worlds."
Veera Romanoff is a Finland-based multidisciplinary artist and architect whose practice operates at the intersection of visual art, spatial thinking, and conceptual research. Working across graphic art, painting, video, and exhibition design, she explores how opposing systems of thought collide and generate new forms of perception. Her visual language is rooted in black-and-white geometry, repetition, rhythm, and structural tension. She approaches the artwork as a dynamic system in which incompatible ideas coexist, reflecting a world shaped by ideological, technological, and cultural transformation. Her architectural background is fundamental to her method. Precision, proportion, modularity, and spatial organisation become tools for examining psychological and social structures. Veera works internationally while maintaining her studio practice in Finland.
**Selected Exhibitions** 2026 — Platforms Project, Athens, Greece 2026 — OSTEN Biennial, Skopje, North Macedonia 2026 — 48 Stunden Neukölln Festival, Berlin, Germany 2026 — Personal Structures / Confluences, Palazzo Bembo, Venice 2026 — TAG Gallery, Los Angeles, USA 2026 — LA Art Show, Los Angeles, USA 2025 — Art With Me, Miami, USA 2025–2026 — The Wrong Biennale **Selected Spatial Design Projects** 2026 — JS Gallery, Platforms Project, Athens 2026 — EDEN.exe, Berlin 2026 — Personal Structures / Confluences, Venice 2026 — JS Gallery, LA Art Show, Los Angeles
MILLA KARUSTO
MULTIDISCIPLINARY ARTIST (ILLUSTRATION, TEXTILE ART AND FASHION)
"I believe in fearless self-expression, in fashion as art, and in craftsmanship that carries meaning. Every piece I create is a celebration of individuality, a wearable manifesto of joy and confidence. Let's smile together!"
Milla Karusto is a Hyvinkää-based multidisciplinary artist specializing in bold illustrations, handcrafted fashion and textile art. Drawing inspiration from the vibrant pop culture of the 70s, 80s, and 90s, each piece is uniquely crafted from surprising materials with love and a playful sense of humor. Under her brand Up the Wazoo Apparel, she creates holographic earrings, vibrant statement clothing and accessories, and intricate crochet knitwear—each piece individually designed and made by hand. Her work is a fusion of art, craftsmanship, and sustainability, celebrating self-expression through wearable art.
Milla’s approach to design is deeply rooted in sustainability, and she loves to work with upcycled and surplus materials as much as possible. Combining different mediums, methods and clashing patterns really make the pieces pop. Her work has been recognized with the title of "Maker of the Year 2021." Beyond creating fashion, she is passionate about sharing her craft, hosting inclusive workshops that encourage creativity and hands-on making.
DIANA KATSIVALIS
(Dyi Design)
PAINTING, PHOTOGRAPHY, EMBROIDERY, MIXED MEDIA.
"Art is the food of the soul"
I started Dyi Design in the year of 2010 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where I was born. Started making customized handfans to my friends. Then I started selling them in Ipanema Beach. I had a lot of small pieces of clothes and from that appeared my first canvas with textile.
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."
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)
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.
MARIIA KRASNOVA
(SketchArtStudio)
Painting, Digital Art
"I draw to understand space, and paint to express what cannot be measured."
Multidisciplinary designer and visual artist with a strong background in architecture, illustration, and 3D visualization. Active member of Urban Sketchers Helsinki, the Akvart watercolor community, and the Helsinki International Artists Association. I regularly participate in exhibitions and collaborative art projects organized by these communities.
Combining architectural precision with expressive artistic techniques, I create original visual narratives across digital and traditional media.
HEIDI KROGERUS
PAINTINGS
"I believe beauty can change the way we relate to nature—not through fear, but through wonder."
Heidi Krogerus is a Finnish fine artist whose work explores the organic beauty of the natural world — vegetables, botanical forms, and the quiet drama of decomposition and growth. Working primarily in oil on circular and rectangular canvases, she brings an expressive, layered energy to her subjects. Her paintings hover between representation and abstraction, finding rhythm and colour relationships in everyday objects placed under close observation. The circular format, a recurring choice, creates an intimate, lens-like intimacy — as if glimpsed through a window into another world. Krogerus has exhibited her work across Finland and internationally, with a practice rooted in the Indian tradition of painting and a global contemporary sensibility that is entirely her own.
Photographer Credit: Markus Meyer
NISHA KSHIRSAGAR
PAINTING
"I believe art has the power to connect, inspire, and evoke emotion."
I am an artist who enjoys expressing emotions through my work, primarily using painting. I like experimenting with colors, textures, and techniques to create depth and mood in my pieces. My work is inspired by feelings, natural elements, and ideas, and I often learn from other artists and creative sources to refine my style. I strongly believe in continuously improving my process and evolving as an artist. I am currently building my practice and sharing my work online. I am interested in being part of creative communities to learn, collaborate, and grow alongside other artists.
Photographer Credit: Adhi Bagavan
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)
RESEARCH-BASED CONCEPTUAL ARTIST
HIAA BOARD MEMBER - SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Vegesent (Veronika Kvitko) is a conceptual artist based in Helsinki, Finland. Her practice draws on Michel Foucault’s biopolitics and critiques of anthropocentrism, examining the social mechanisms through which life becomes a category of power and certain lives are allowed to fall out of view.
Through material reduction, scientific research, and metaphor, her work makes socially hidden realities available for observation.
