It took a while to organize my life so that I can step outside of my everyday life in Helsinki and finally answer to the invitation that I had for AARK residency. I didn’t know how much I needed a break from everything until I arrived at AARK.
I arrived at AARK 10th of December when the evening was already getting dark. I was planning to stay there for two weeks and my mind was full of thoughts, expectations and ideas how I will spend the two weeks. I even had a 'to-do-list' for my stay in AARK. Quite soon I realized that I have to let go of all the lists and the thoughts of productivity and stop. I didn't come here to hurry, I came here to be.
I wanted to see the starry sky and the moon. I wanted to be in silence, escape all the hurry, be present and contemplate. I wanted to escape the city lights and experience the darkness as it is in Finland in December, the darkest month of the year. And that I indeed did.
I watched the darkening evenings and the sea and listened to silence around me. I sat quiet and let my mind wonder. I was surprised how many hidden emotions I had in my body that came to the surface when I finally had the time to let them out. The two weeks I spent in AARK became such an important, inspirational and therapeutic break from my everyday life. Although I soon abandoned my ‘to-do-lists’ when I got there, I still was able to create and finally start my new artistic production called “They come in peace”. I even had a small breakthrough with my style and new painting technique.
When I was sitting in the bus and heading back to Helsinki I felt rested and my mind was full of new ideas. And I knew I would come back to AARK.
- Matilda
*All photos by the Author
Detail of a painting called "The mother of creation - Regina Coeli", 2021, gouache and watercolor on paper 
It was nice to come back to my studio head full of ideas after the residency. 
“I will have two exhibitions this year so it’s the perfect time to look back at the previous ones. Here’s a picture of my first solo exhibition “Pussyeyes and nippleflowers” in Helsinki at Lokal Satellite Space Gallery in 2020. The main focus in the exhibition was in industrially woven and hand-tufted textile artworks.” 
“In this industrially woven textile artwork called Equality (2020), different kinds of creatures live in peace and harmony together. Different kinds of flower creatures will be the main focus in my next exhibition called “They come in peace” this year.”
