Miia Puustinen and Valo Vairio

Miia Puustinen, 1990, Helsinki
“I study textile design and art in Aalto University, Helsinki. My studies are mostly related to design, but I have always been more interested in art and illustration. I find traditional textile techniques such as screen printing and embroidery really fascinating. In Studio Asylum, my project was collecting visual memories in April and May. I basically illustrated things that I saw and experienced daily. I used different techniques: ink, drawing and photography. I asked myself what is the moment when an object, event or place becomes a memory? Another part of my project was to embroider these ”collected memories” and make a wall hanging. Embroidering part I will be completed in Finland”.

Valo Vairio, 1989, Helsinki
“I work with video and still pictures and I also paint. In Studio Asylum, I concentrated on painting. I usually collect various objects from surrounding areas and abandoned places. Those found objects work as an inspiration and are a start for new paintings and collages. It’s always a surprise what one comes across, but it has to be interesting in one way or another: material, colour, structure, form, feeling or its history – anything. In itself, it is only a piece of rubbish, but through my work, I want to give it a new meaning, a new life, and a continuation of its story.
In Studio Asylum, I painted canvases, made a lampshade and painted tree lampshades. Those have already found homes. It is also possible to come across some of my works at Metelkova”.