Biography
Gestural traces – Elina Aho
My painting practice is intertwined with embodiment, physicality and psychology of the human being as an individual and in relation to one another, and physicality and viscerality of the painting process itself. Painting and drawing are becoming nearer in my practice – transformation through different gestural traces. My practice is linked to studying the human form and fleshiness, and also the gestures in painting, what are the traces of action. It is linked to memory and passing of time, time-based element – transformation process of something becoming something else, appearing and disappearing, invisibilities and visibilities. I´m exploring psychological reality of human development by studying babies, body parts, and brains. I´m interested in elements of surprise and ambiguity. I would not necessarily make the division between drawings and paintings; in fact I would like them to be of the same process. I have explored this process in combining drawing on film to painting, drawing on paper to monoprinting, monoprinting and painting, and drawing and painting.
I´m interested in physical, tactile, and sensory qualities of paint - and paint made flesh. I have strived for intuitive, rather immediate working and visceral energy brought to surface. Also the space between figuration and abstraction fascinates me.
I´m currently developing my artistic practice further at Glasgow School of Arts, undertaking a Master´s Degree in Fine Art Practice, with specialization in painting. My scientific background in psychology and brain science together with the specialization in dance movement psychotherapy gives depth and width to my artistic practice in painting. Knowledge of art history and contemporary art (including modern dance and fashion) is vital to my artistic practice; I strive for combining knowledge to find new perspectives.
