OUR MEMBERS
Search alphabetically by surname or browse and get to know our talented community of members
CAROLINA ANDREA MAC-IVER GONZALEZ
(Carolina Mac-Iver)
PAINTING, SCULPTURE AND DESIGN
"I describe my work as cross-cultural and multicultural. I paint or carve on canvas or wood the energy I feel from the people or place I portray. My perception is sensitive to the energy each being emits, and this is what express trough visual language. Colors, forms, textures and expressions come together in my figurative work."
I was born in Chile, in a family where paintbrushes and canvases ere part of the home´s everyday surroundings. I have always love painting. In 2012, I moved to Finland with my husband and fell in love with this northern land, so similar to the far south where i come from. Here in Finland I have my hart with my family. I studied Interior Architecture at LA, and at the same time I continued painting and drawing. I also learned wood carving. Wood is one the most beautiful materials to carve and paint.
I have presented my work in many different exhibition in Finland. Also the portrait project " Women of the World in Finland", in which my sister and I portrayed women from different parts of the world living in Finland, was presented in May 2025 at STOA.
I connect with my inner self every time I paint or carve, and that connection is expressed through the colors and forms in my work. My inspiration comes from the energy of nature itself. Spirituality and femininity are recurring themes in my art. Painting and sculpture are my visual language- a language without words that expresses what I sometimes cannot say. Long live colors and lines, which allow me to bring out what I carry writhing. I love art.
LUCIANA MARIANO
CONTEMPORARY "NAÏVE" PAINTER
Born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil, Luciana is third generation of naïve painters in her family. She draws and paints intensively since very early childhood but never thought it was a professioal possibility, in fact, it was a discouraged activity in her family. Until she was 38, shy for her childish trait, she painted and immediately destroyed everything she produced. After a very successful first exhibition in 2008 she decided to believe in her career as painter and since then she has shown her work in many countries and important events.
She became a Finnish citizen in 2023 and is now re-starting her career in Finland, looking forward to leave a legacy in this country she loves to call Home.
ALENA MASYUTINA
PAINTING
"I’m tired of overcomplicating. I choose to simplify."
Alena Masyutina is a contemporary artist living and working in Finland. Working in various techniques, primarily acrylic painting, she creates stylized visual worlds inspired by plants, animals, still lifes, and everyday observations. Her work combines flattened compositions, intentionally imperfect shapes, and a calm dreamlike atmosphere balancing between contemporary painting and broken vector-like imagery. Bent vases, shifting proportions, and conditional shadows become part of her artistic language, where familiar objects and organic forms transform into simplified symbolic spaces. Through restrained color palettes and simplified forms, Masyutina creates works that feel both familiar and slightly surreal quiet worlds balancing between memory, imagination, and observation. Alena is a member of the Helsinki International Artists’ Association (HIAA) and the Association of Global Online Painters (AGOP), and participates in international exhibitions.
E. ROWAN MENA
POET, BOOK ARTIST, LETTERPRESS PRINTER
E. Rowan Mena is a Puerto Rican poet, translator, and book artist. They hold an MFA in poetry from Brown University, an MFA in literary translation from the University of Iowa, and an M.Phil in Criticism and Culture from the University of Cambridge. Their book Featherbone (Ricochet Editions, 2015) won a 2016 Hoffer First Horizons Award. Their translation of the Argentine graphic novel The Eternaut by H.G. Oesterheld and F. Solano Lopez (Fantagraphics, 2015) won a 2016 Eisner Award. Their artist books are collected widely. Most recently they created the artist books Puerto Rico en mi corazón, a collection of letterpress printed broadsides by Puerto Rican poets in response to Hurricane Maria, printed in Spanish and English; and Gringo Death Coloring Book by Raquel Salas Rivera with collaborator Mariana Ramos Ortiz. They have taught Book Arts, Translation, and Poetry at Brown University, Mills College, Harvard University, and elsewhere. They currently live in Fiskars, Finland.
*Photo credit: Sanni Rihimäki
ALYSIA MENTULA
FANTASY ILLUSTRATION, GRAPHIC DESIGN
HIAA ADVISORY BOARD
Alysia Mentula is a US-born Illustrator and graphic designer who loves to bring mysticism to game art and add whimsy the stark reputation of graphic design. Endlessly scribbling down concepts across disciplines, you can find her art anywhere that imagination is needed, in many gaming books for tabletop role-player gaming (Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder) as well as featured in card game illustration. She is passionate about fusing diversity and inclusion in her work in game and concept art development.
As a graphic designer, Alysia also frequently works with immigrant communities, entrepreneurs and startups in graphic and web design. She believes that people are never 'one thing' and that all facets of creativity should be freed, explored, and used for social change.
OLGA MEZHEVICH
(Olga Illustrates)
DIGITAL ILLUSTRATOR, ACRYLIC PAINTER
"My work is often inspired by Art Nouveau architecture of Helsinki, so unique and beautiful."
Olga Mezhevich (b. 1987) is a visual artist creating digital illustrations as well as acrylic paintings (working under the artistic name Olga Illustrates). Olga has a special interest in depicting Art Nouveau architecture of Helsinki in her art. She became interested in architecture while working as a guide in the city and thinks that Helsinki has the most unique interpretation of Art Nouveau style of all. Moreover, Helsinki has cozy neighbourhoods with colourful wooden houses surrounded by gardens, such as Puu-Käpylä, Puu-Vallila and Puu-Tapanila, which also inspire Olga. She strives to create a sense of warmth and coziness with her artworks by using cheerful colours and cute elements. Olga also experiments with other techniques such as Fluid Art and collage art.
Doing art for her has started during the pandemic in 2020, and now she works as an entrepreneur Olga Illustrates. She uses her digital illustrations to design and produce her own products such as art posters, postcards, pop-up cards, vinyl stickers, bookmarks, etc.. in her home art studio in Helsinki in Ruoholahti. Olga participates in various art markets as well as art exhibitions in Helsinki.
ABDOULSALAM MIHIGO
CONTEMPORARY ART
I am a multidisciplinary artist whose work blends painting, text, and raw visual expression to explore identity, emotion, and cultural tension. My practice is rooted in instinct and experimentation, often combining bold colors, distorted figures, and symbolic elements that reflect both personal experiences and broader social narratives. Influenced by street art, contemporary expressionism, and everyday life, I create pieces that feel immediate and unfiltered- sometimes chaotic, sometimes playful, but always intentional.
My artistic journey has developed through self-exploration and constant creation, using art as a language to question norms, challenge perception, and communicate what is often difficult to say directly. Recurring motifs in my work- faces, text fragments, and abstract forms- serve as emotional markers, capturing moments of conflict, humor, and reflection.
I aim to create work that resonates on a human level, inviting viewers to interpret freely while confronting themes of identity, belonging, and self-awareness. My art is not about perfection but about honesty- making space for discomfort, curiosity, and connection.
PHAM NGUYEN (Wynn)
ILLUSTRATION ARTIST, PAINTER, PHOTOGRAPHER
My name is Nguyen Pham - an artist, an illustrator - currently working and living in Finland. I'm also a brand identity design expert and a photographer with many years of professional experience.
I have always loved creative spaces and immersed myself in many different forms of art. My strengths are illustration, hand-drawing, sketching and photography. In the beginning, I mainly used traditional art (sketch, watercolor, oil painting). Later, I focused on developing myself as an illustrator, both hand-drawn and digital.
My works are used in book illustrations, home decorations, internal publications, storytelling, and gifts.
