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.”
With no specific goals in mind, I decided to spend my two weeks in solitary, as a sort of mix of holiday and retreat
What a strange year this has been. I was supposed to stay at AARK in March 2020 for two weeks but the pandemic changed those plans. My original idea was to get to know the sea a little better. I was painting a series of works for my exhibition called Loveboat. When I finally got to AARK in August, those paintings were already done.
With no specific goals in mind, I decided to spend my two weeks in solitary, as a sort of mix of holiday and retreat: walking, looking at the sea, reading and sketching. After the first day I was feeling so lonely and so bored! And then I ran into Molly and her family in the hallway, and she invited me to dinner. We became friends straight away. Then Hanna-Leena and Jyrki arrived also, and suddenly the house was full of life. I still continued my routines and spent a lot of time alone, but I wasn’t lonely anymore.
The Sunrise at AARK
To be honest, I really don’t like drawing but when I was staying at AARK, my favorite routines involved my sketchbook (that I normally don’t use ever). Every morning I would look out from my kitchen window and paint with watercolors what I saw. All the trees, the rocks on the parking lot, the pinecones…It was some sort of mindfulness practice for me. And then I would go outside by the sea and continue painting and drawing. There were so many amazing colors and shapes to be found! I really fell in love with the sea and the nature which felt familiar and strange at the same time. I loved the silence and all the animals I saw. I even loved that tiny snake that swam at the shore. I had never seen one before and was a bit scared of them before coming to AARK.
Spending time alone but also talking with other artists opened up new ways of seeing and thinking, even being. Thank you AARK and all the wonderful people!
When Renja invited us back in November for a week, Molly and I were so happy! I finally met Benkku and also Gill, who was staying there at the time. It was raining almost constantly, so we stayed indoors a lot. Since we rented a car, I was able to bring a lot of art supply with me. I was planning on mostly reading, knitting and eating but ended up working quite a lot, too. I started some tiny paintings that I finished later at my studio. I also did some linocut prints.
My linocut prints in the making
I really enjoyed seeing Korpo in different times of the year. Each time it was peaceful and beautiful in its own way. As a painter it is hard for me to work outside my studio. But at AARK I found new space for my thoughts, which is always important for an artist. Spending time alone but also talking with other artists opened up new ways of seeing and thinking, even being. Thank you AARK and all the wonderful people!
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