Dear friend of Arkadia, You are invited to “New and Past Collages and Portraits” by Sini Kunnas on Thursday 9.12 at 6pm. Sini will present a retrospective of her works and offer a reflection on the evolution of ideas and technique. www.sinikunnas.com Welcome! Warm regards, Ian www.arkadiabookshop.fi – Entrance is free and green tea will be served. A donation of €2 (or more!) is suggested and would be very welcome. Sini Kunnas Born 12th February 1969 in Espoo www.sinikunnas.com Sini Kunnas has been a professional artist since 1996 and had her major debute in 1998 (Gallery Artegrafica/Helsinki). She begun as a self-made artist, assisted by many pro´s in art and an artist mother, but joined the Finnish school of Ilja Repin Insitute in 2007. There she studied classical painting under the masters of the St.Petersburg Academy, now the Ilja Repin Institute. “Change” has becoma a norm to Sini: by now at 41, she has lived in 22 places in her life and begun school in Surrey, U.K at the age of five.Her fathers lesson “never to fear of making choises” has been present in her artists path and work. Her mothers lesson to love art and creativity has given Sini a clear belief in the arts importance. Kunnas has been known for her conceptual art collage works, which were presented at Galerie Debelleyme, in Paris (Marais) in 2001. The next year, in 2002, she represented Finland in Shanghai amongst 20 international artists all over the world, painting 2 works there during her stay. These paintings are now in the collections of Shanghai Modern Art Museum. Kunnas has had many exhibitions in her country. Even as being a known artist, Sini Kunnas feels the only important thing is the art itself. Her belief in her work is strong and attitude positive. Sini Kunnas describes herself as a postmodern artist, who is always interested in people. Her works deal with media, individuality, emotions and events effects in a person. Her subjects can be from a power-figure to sensitive children. This artist encourages to see under the given and to look at the visual as equally as to what is under. The Russian teachers at the Finnish Ilja Repin Institute encouraged Sini to aim for portraits, which Sini feels is her identity as a painter. Kunnas has used many methods in painting: the fast and abstract black line, collages on wood along acrylics, drawing and oil painting. Her works have been said to be strong in composition and timeless even mainly dealing with subjects of her own time. (www.sinikunnas.com) Sini Kunnas would like to develop her skills, ideas and vision especially of the portrait. Its meaning for todays people, its modern version in comparison to its role in the past, to the various techniques in oil painting today – as well as in history. Brief facts: Grants Uusimaa, Kerava and Espoo city Cultural funds 1997 – 2001 The Finnish Cultural Fund, media Group project “Zeitgeist” 2009 Exhibitions: Group exhibition: Pyhäniemi Mansion/Finland summer 2010 Private exhibitions: Helsinki, Pori, Porvoo and Oulu/Finland 1998 – 2007 Beijing Art & Design College/Beijing, China 1999 Galerie Debelleyme, Paris 2001 Events and competitions: Shanghai International Artists Event 2002 Semifinal place at the Lexmark Art Competition 2004 Memberships: Finnish Painters´Union, trial membership (due to self-made image) Espoo Painters Association Museum Collections: Museum of Modern Art EMMA Art Museum of Shanghai Art Education: Ilja Repin Institute in Finland 2007 – 2008