RIIKKA FRANSILA

Born 1970, Hausjärvi, Finland

Riikka would like to cut out everything she sees into a collage but since that would be a bit impractical, she’s settled for the scissors-and-paper option: mixing vintage and found commercial imagery to create completely new and expressive compositions. She got hooked on collaging at a time when she needed a break from a low point in life. Since then, the activity has become a personal oasis to focus her mind and find balance after a busy day. She finds treasures in other people’s trash (mags from the 50’s are best!) and scours flea markets and antique shops for raw material.

Her surreal pieces juxtapose imagery that otherwise would not be caught together: human faces and body parts, flowers, plants, cars, and many other paraphernalia. By consciously reducing the number of elements more and more, she achieves a certain zen minimalism. The witty, humorously subversive works—so much more than the sums of the parts—attest to Riikka’s substantial awareness of surrealism, Pop-art and Dadaism, and her command over the mystical power of imagery.