Emma Ainala

Emma Ainala is known for her intricate, detailed works that explore mythologies and a variety of spaces, both physical and digital – some even imagined. The human body, with its ambivalent gestures and expressions, is at the center of the works, being the object of the gaze and objectification are recurring themes. Her dreamlike paintings are at the same time very much in the present and contain references to art and cultural history. The thoughtful symbolism of the interiors of the works and the fragmented, dense surface enable several different interpretations and visits to parallel realities. Ainala's carefully stylized paintings are like performances of some unfinished and mysterious situation.

Emma Ainala (b. 1989, Helsinki, lives and works in Savonlinna, Finland) graduated from the Finnish Academy Fine Arts of Uniarts Helsinki in 2013. She had her first solo museum exhibition at Mikkeli Art Museum in 2017, followed by another one at Jyväskylä Art Museum in 2019, and Hyvinkää Art Museum in 2020. In spring 2018, she was invited to take part in the prestigious Spring Exhibition at Copenhagen’s Kunsthalle Charlottenborg. Her works have been widely exhibited in Finland and in Europe. Her works are included in collections such as the art collection of the Saastamoinen Foundation, the Niemistö Collection and Mikkeli Art Museum’s collection.