Kimanen, Maija Pilvikki - Striped Shirt 2 PAINTING

Acrylic, ink on paper

21 x 30 cm

2026

Maija Pilvikki Kimanen graduated as a visual artist from Lahti Art Institute in 2006. Her works have been exhibited in galleries of artists' associations in various cities, in the Young Artists' Exhibition, and at the Outsider Art Festival at the Helsinki Art Museum HAM, as well as at Galleria Rajatila. The artist lives and works in Helsinki.

"For years I made machines, videos, installations, and sculptures. Now I have returned to where my artistic journey began: painting and drawing. Previously, the themes of my works arose from humorous and positive insights. However, with painting, the themes became more intense: my paintings also address difficult subjects such as illness and transience. I am interested in the limitations of human senses, mental illnesses, and functional impairments.

I draw a lot from my own life for my works. I tinker with all sorts of things by myself. My older sister once said that others do what they know, Maija does whatever. Techniques that no one has ever used, you just have to practice. There is no such textbook that teaches about it.”

My collections grow and develop over time. I have found my own technique and way of making art; it cannot be learned from any book, it must be discovered through experimentation. I am very enthusiastic about the new sugar-water technique, which I use with acrylic paint, a stick, water, and ink. In the work, the color starts to spread and does what it wants... it's very interesting. My latest works feature two people; they are perhaps a kind of encounter. The works with many people relate to delusions, to the feeling of many people being at home, which can be frightening.