Kaisa Joensuun grafiikan pajalla.
Kuva: Mari Pitkänen
BIOGRAPHY
Kaisa Jussila (b. 1979 in Vantaa, Finland) is a finnish Printmaker and Visual Artist. She graduated Helsinki Academy of Fine Arts in 2006. Since then she has participated widely exhibitions in Finland and abroad. Year 2007 she won the First Prize of Nordic Graphic Triennale in Denmark.
Latest solo exhibitions are Joensuu City Theatre (2022), Galerie Pleiku, Berlin (2021), Gallery Huuto, Helsinki (2021, 2008), and Grafoteekki, Gallery G, Helsinki (2019).
Group exhibition projects: Print (Taidekeskus Ahjo, Joensuu 2021, 2019), Mustan Kissan Museo and Kesäpamaus (2021, 2019) in Tohmajärvi. Kaisa was a coordinator in these two summer exhibitions.
Other remarkable group exhibitions are Pimeä Talo (2017, 2008-2007), Hanasaari Cultural Centre exhibition of finnish and swedish printmakers (2009), Wederzijds-festival (Netherlands 2008) and 4. Nordic Graphic Triennale´s exhibition tour in Denmark (2007-2008).
Jussila has lived in North Karelia, Finland since year 2008. Nature and peace are important for her work as an artist, also as an inspiration. In her home place Tohmajärvi Kaisa has been building the Tohmajärvi Artist Residency together with Tohmajärvi Municipality. She is also a contact and an artist colleague of the residency.
KAISA TELLS ABOUT HER ART:
Prinmaking and ceramics are fascinating opposites for me. They are the extremities of my artistic work. As a printmaker I concentrate on precise, technical way of working: drawing, etching and printing. I am excited about sensitivity and unique imprint of printmaking. Slowliness of working feels like an opposite to modern life.
In my ceramic art I build three-dimensional spaces and creatures. I paint colourfully with engobe and underglaze paints. I use many layers of glazing, and combine also other paints and gilding. In Raku ceramics I´m playing with fire and smoke. I build my character´s attitude and figure. They are the main characters of my stories.
While working I throw myself to subconscious and let the intuition lead me. My themes are the layers of past, memories and the world of imagination. I´m fascinated of the playfulness and joy of fairy tales. As an opposite our history is full of war, sorrow and pain. Fables and myths stay with people through times and decades, bringing comfort and escape from reality.
My work as an artist is like an investigation. The head stones are history related to locality, imaginary expression and wide, strong knowledge of techniques. I also want to break the borderlines and open new aspects to other fields of art.
Art is a strong calling for me. As a child my biggest wish was to become a fine artist. I always drew, everywhere and all the time. Still drawing is the starting point of my art, a very simple instrument that needs only a pen and a paper. I can express all: draw the line, and write my thoughts down.