Yes. My solo exhibit opened during Pride week last year.
Rupla is a new place in Helsinki, it combines an art gallery,
a clothing store and a cafe, and much more.
Was there a specific underlying theme to your show
collection?
The title of the exhibit was 'Bittersweet Love.' There is
something bitter and something sweet about being gay.
Despite people becoming more tolerant, there is still a lot
of resistance. And it seems the more rights minorities
gain, the more opposition it creates. There's
discrimination even within the minority groups
themselves, so it's not just something coming from the
outside. It's sad because we should know better. The
exhibit tried to bring you glimpses of the gay experiences.
There was paintings of bliss, love, lust and tenderness, and
then there were pieces filled with pain, conflict, isolation
and physical and emotional violence. The paintings went
for your gut. But there were also paintings that could be
described as classical nudes. I also played with certain
stereotypes related to gay culture.
What was the emotional process like for you to create the
collection?
Harder than I thought it would be. I found myself reliving
things. I was suddenly back in my childhood, living my
horrid teenage years, remembering all the bullies and
going through the troubled relationship with my father. A
lot of scars re-emerged. A certain melancholic
atmosphere got sprinkled on many of the paintings due to
this, even though initially that wasn't my intention at all.
But that is where the emotional process took me.
How many pieces did you show?
There were 25 paintings in the exhibit. Initial amount was
around 15 but I kept adding more and more.
Was this your first large-scale exhibit? If not, where else
have you exhibited?
I've had solo exhibits and been part of group exhibits
focused on fashion but this was my first solo exhibit
focused on my visual art. Usually people do group exhibits
and then go solo; I guess I am doing this whole exhibit
thing a bit differently.
Where else can people see your work? For example, do
you have an online gallery somewhere?
I have three different online