Heini Mika

Since forever have women been the subject of great art, but rarely were we allowed to create great art. As a female artist living in the 21st Century, I find great inspiration in the female icons of the past, despite the societal pressures that tell me their beauty and success renders them irrelevant. Famous women from Marie Antoinette to Miley Cyrus, have served as profound sources of inspiration for me, whether it be their distinctive style or spirit. My work is driven by a profound curiosity to understand the reasons behind our tendency to elevate women to legendary status, where their images become eternal, only to later tear them down. Through my creative process, I aim to explore how the images of these influential women, given by pop culture, impact and shape my own artistic depictions of them.

Ultimately, my work serves as a reflection and exploration of this complex dynamic. While my intention is to showcase the vibrant and visually captivating image that pop culture has crafted around the women I idolize, I also remain very conscious of the underlying darkness that hides beneath the surface of their seemingly lighthearted images.

As a Finn, I grew up on satire, dark humor, and happy endings and that is well reflected in my work. At first glance, my cartoonish mixed media paintings may depict my subject’s pop culture image perfectly, which is usually colorful, ditzy, and lacking in substance, but I am actually satirizing our perceptions of my female heroines. We are all guilty of prioritizing a person’s image over the narrative.

I choose to work with acrylics, rhinestones, and glitters because their vibrant hues and textures are well suited for creating eye-catching artworks that are unique to me, and perfect for the subject matter. Just like the women I paint, I am an unconventional woman in the eyes of my society and with my art practice I want to invite viewers to look past the glittering images and see the depth and complexity of the women I paint, myself included.