The Northern Alps Art Festival in Nagano’s Omachi City is featuring two Finnish artists this year, Maaria Wirkkala and Milla Vaahtera. Their works are on view between October 2nd and November 21st. The Finnish Institute in Japan is hosting online artist talks with the artists
Milla Vaahtera on Wednesday September 29th at 5pm
Maaria Wirkkala on Thursday October 7th at 5pm
Please join us to hear them talk about their artistry and works on the festival, you can register via Peatix:
Milla Vaahtera artist talk: https://vaahteratalk.peatix.com
Maaria Wirkkala artist talk: https://wirkkalatalk.peatix.com
Milla Vaahtera (b. 1981) is an artist and furniture designer, who graduated as a Master of Arts in 2010 from Aalto University, the School of Arts, Design and Architecture. She works at the interfaces of sculpture and design.
Her work in Northern Alps Art Festival is Lintumaa (Birdland), an installation of glass and brass sculptures inspired by the small flora of the forest floor. Imaginary plant sculptures are large and they react to the forest around them by colour, sound and movement.
Maaria Wirkkala (b. 1954) is known for her site-specific installations. She has taken part in numerous art festivals around the world and in Japan, i.e. Echigo Tsumari Art Triennial, Yokohama Triennial and Setouchi Triennial, and had her solo exhibition in Tokyo in 2017. She has represented Finland in the Venice Biennial twice, and received numerous art awards and honours.
Her work in Northern Alps Art Festival is an installation with two unoccupied cottages on the shore of Lake Nakatsuna. The work draws its inspiration from an old local legend of temple bells, that were destroyed by an earthquake long ago but can still be heard today, and from the local history of salt road.
Photo: Milla Vaahtera: Birdland installation, 2021. Photo: Hannakaisa Pekkala