what grows between us
The exhibition presents nine paintings by Julia Valtanen, which reflect her individual style and manner of painting. Valtanen's philosophical concept is deeply rooted in her holistic understanding of the interaction between a person's inner world and their external environment. This approach views phenomena, systems, or organisms as integrated structures where all elements are interconnected and affect each other.
It can be said that in Julia Valtanen's works, a dialogue emerges with what philosopher Donna Haraway* called "kinship" — the search for new connections between the human and the non-human, the living and the inanimate, the natural and the artificial.
In her book Staying with the Trouble: Making Kin in the Chthulucene, Donna Haraway criticizes the concept of the Anthropocene, which describes the era of human dominance on Earth, and proposes the term "Chthulucene" to describe the current epoch. The Chthulucene is an era of coexistence, entanglement, and symbiosis between different species, where humans are no longer at the center of the universe. It is a time when we need to learn to live together with other living beings, to care for relationships, and make kin with non-human agents— animals, plants, fungi, bacteria, and even technological systems. The Chthulucene is also an alternative future where living beings learn to survive together, rather than dominating one another.
Julia Valtanen's paintings become a space where new forms of closeness are born. Recognizable elements, reminiscent of natural structures— roots, vessels, plants, flowers, animals, water streams, living tissue— are combined with abstract elements. This fusion offers a play of interpretations, creating associations with mythologies, dreams, and cosmic images. The general impression of viscosity and fluidity is reinforced by the amorphous boundaries between elements, transforming chaos into harmony. The special technique of layering paint gives the paintings an unusual tactile quality and visual complexity. The artist’s color palette, rich in bright colours, appeals to the sensuality of perception, yet behind this riot of color lies subtle work with softness and vulnerability.
The artist prefers to work on the border between abstract and figurative painting. The paintings seem spontaneous and impulsive, with a strong expressiveness of shapes and lines.
"I have always been interested in how everything is connected, how things influence and change each other. In my works, one form often flows into another. Images of people, plants, and animals seem as though they are only just forming and ready to enter this world. I try to capture this moment of creation and further coexistence of all entities. I do not make a qualitative distinction between the human and non-human view; I place them on the same surface, connecting them all in a network of mutual influence. I almost never make clear final sketches before starting work. I like leaving room for randomness and, if I may say so, insight, when in the process of working, an idea comes that I can immediately use." — Julia Valtanen
Julia Valtanen's work includes collages and paintings, in which a densely packed, rich composition with plant motifs is emphasized by expressive work with color, and the freedom of the artist’s hand is evident. All of this refers to Henri Matisse’s Fauvism and continues the dialogue between modernist and contemporary painting.
Valtanen's artistic practice is also embedded in the context of contemporary discussions about the rethinking of materiality. Through her work, the artist offers not only an aesthetic experience but also an opportunity to rethink how we perceive nature and our own bodies in a rapidly changing world, where the boundaries between the "self" and the world blur, and forms become imbued with multiple meanings. Valtanen’s visual language resonates with feminist aesthetics of “corporeality” and “bodily memory,” where the body and nature become inseparable parts of the narrative. Her works are a window into an alternative reality where nature and art speak the same language.
“What Grows Between Us” is an opportunity to look closely and reflect on what grows within the space that we share with each other and with the world.
* Donna Haraway is one of the most influential philosophers, historians of science, and feminist theorists of our time. Her works cover a wide range of topics, including biology, technology, gender studies, ecology, and posthumanism. She is known for her ability to blur the boundaries between science, culture, and philosophy, offering new ways of thinking about the human and the non-human.
