“Three years ago, I was walking along the edge of a field in Luusniemi, near the cottage my father had built. Suddenly, amidst the smaller butterflies, a large yellow swallowtail flew by. I was thrilled; I had never seen the species at the cottage before, even though I had walked those same paths for years, identifying and recording the variety of species. The butterfly fluttered along until it stopped right in front of me—first on a thistle blossom, then moving to a beautiful blue-violet field scabious. It stayed with me for several minutes. I returned to the cottage excited and happy. A couple of hours later, my brother called to tell me that after having his coffee, my father had lain down for a rest and passed away. The guilt felt crushing. My father had died alone, and I hadn’t had the chance to say goodbye. Later, I realized that he had passed away at the very moment the butterfly appeared before me by the roadside. In my grief, I clung to that encounter, and I still believe the universe sent that swallowtail to comfort me. This summer, a swallowtail landed beside me again as I sat at the cottage, watching a loon glide silently past the Heinäluoto islands on Lake Kyyvesi.

Encounters with other species often feel significant to me. A small beetle crosses the road with such determination, heedless of the dangers. Watching it move gives me a sense of assurance, too. I, too, must trust in the future and work to ensure that goodness and beauty prevail, however hopeless it may sometimes seem.

In my works, observations made in nature merge with the responsibilities and impacts inherent in the human experience. They depict interrelationships and the cycle of life—birth, growth, and decline. What begins with a walk and observations transforms in the studio into something else: a more complex, harder-to-explain blend of encounter, memory, and imagination.

In printmaking, the way a work is constructed often remains hidden. In my practice, I aim to make this process visible. The works in this exhibition are combinations of woodcut and monotype. In printmaking, technical choices, creative insights, and the element of chance are integral to the meaning and subject matter of the works. At its best, combining techniques can create a dialogue akin to breathing.

In relief printing, the image is built up through overlapping layers as the paper records the work performed. To my mind, the creation of a print mimics the process of remembering. Much like memory, the artwork is constructed layer by layer and event by event, with something important inevitably becoming obscured and hidden. As the work progresses and the printing process unfolds, the piece presents various versions of what originally existed or occurred.

My work has been supported by the Arts Promotion Centre Finland and the Häme Fund.”

Anniina Vainionpää (born 1979 in Pieksämäki) is a visual artist and printmaker living and working in Riihimäki. She has focused primarily on woodcuts and monotypes since 2004. Vainionpää graduated as a visual artist from the South Karelia University of Applied Sciences in 2003 and earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Academy of Fine Arts in 2018. She is a member of the Association of Finnish Printmakers, the Finnish Woodcut Artists’ Society, the Hyvinkää Artists’ Association, and Ars-Häme. Her works are included in collections such as those of the Finnish State and HUS (Helsinki University Hospital), as well as the art museums of Hyvinkää, Hämeenlinna, and Jyväskylä.