Riitta Nelimarkka: A Dance of Colour, Chaos and Consciousness
- Art Loving Team
- Apr 21
- 8 min read
Riitta Nelimarkka
Some artists resist definition—not out of evasion, but because their work thrives in spaces where categories dissolve. Finnish multimedia artist Riitta Nelimarkka is one such force. Blending surrealism with play, textile with animation, philosophy with childlike wonder, her art is a rich, ever-evolving ecosystem of form, texture, and spirit.
With a career spanning decades and disciplines, Nelimarkka invites us into a world that is both deeply personal and joyfully universal. Whether through a woollen relief pulsing with rhythm, a photomontage shimmering with digital echoes, or the voice of her alter ego Elise, she explores identity, transformation, and the stubborn beauty of existence.
In this exclusive interview, Nelimarkka speaks to us about her inspirations, her restless creative process, and the paradoxes that keep her moving—between order and chaos, routine and spontaneity, melancholy and celebration. The result is a vivid portrait of an artist who refuses to stand still.
Introduction and Career
Your art is a fusion of intense colours, dynamic figures, and subtle irony. How would you describe your style in your own words?
I generally avoid defining my art, but of course, it can be done. I suppose I have been deeply enamored with artists from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Throughout my career, one might detect traces of surrealism, impressionism, “semi-abstractism,” and a kind of “controlled infantilism” as well as an overall spirit of liberal, associative thinking.
You have worked across a wide range of mediums, from painting and textile art to animation and photomontages. Is there one discipline that feels closest to your essence as an artist?
If I had to name one, I would say the subconscious is my primary discipline, before the reasonable thinking. What is closest to my heart is drawing and fantasizing, dreaming, planning, and constructing expansive projects & series in which I can fuse disparate, even contradictory, ideas into a new whole.
Your work has been exhibited in cities such as Los Angeles, Brussels, Milan, and Moscow. How has your art been received in different countries and cultures?
I am deeply grateful for the positive responses, the joy, and the open-mindedness with which people have embraced my art in so many cities and countries, from Meknes in Morocco, to Lima in Peru. Perhaps it is the playfulness, the humor, probably the colors. I cannot say for sure.
Your pieces are part of numerous public and private collections, including Finnish embassies worldwide. Is there a particular artwork that holds a special meaning for you?
Every commission has been an inspiring experience. However, I am particularly fond of Cabaret, a bold and untamed woolen relief from the Oceania series, which resides at the Finnish Embassy in Tokyo. In fact, also a large woollen free shaped art work on the floor "Con Calore" to Mäntyniemi, the residence of President of Finland. And self clearly the first Finnish long animation 7 Brothers, 87 minutes ́ true handicraft.
Inspirations and Creative Process
Your work reflects influences from literature, film, and music. Who or what are your greatest artistic inspirations?
There is a peculiar, amusing “strategy” in me: the primary influences on my feminine art have mostly been men. I am euphorically inspired by great minds such as Debussy, Tchaikovsky,Verdi, Wagner, Gershwin, the Beatles, and Leonard Cohen, as well as philosophers like Kierkegaard, Seneca, Socrates, Schopenhauer, and Nietzsche. Then superb influencers for me have also been actress Jeanne Moreau and scientist Marie Curie.
You have said that your art emerges from real life, shaped by its joys, sorrows, conflicts, and coincidences. Could you describe your creative process from the initial idea to the final piece?
My creative processes are highly diverse. In essence: I am constantly taking notes, while doing yoga, sitting in meetings or in the car, even in my sleep. I create an overwhelming number of sketches and jottings, imagine colors in my mind, then focus my energy, and commit to the real work, because nothing tangible happens solely within; it must manifest outwardly as well. A distinctive pattern in my process is that once I seize the momentum, I continue, relentlessly, varying the theme or technique, unable to halt the current. By the time this almost manic endeavor concludes, I am left with a broad collection of creations. I then select the most vibrant visions and bestow upon them associative titles.
The character of Elise frequently appears in your work. What does she represent to you, and how has she evolved in your artistic journey?
I first discovered Elise as the narrator and practical tool in my philosophical dissertation, Self- Portrait, Variation of Variation, because I disliked using the pronoun I, the collective we, or passive constructions. This little “invention,” this pseudonym and alter ego, allowed me to play more freely and be less bound by solemnity—even within a dissertation.
Many of your figures and faces appear in constant transformation. Is this an exploration of identity and human emotions?
I believe this perpetual metamorphosis, this tendency to vary everything, is intrinsic to me. I have always been both determined and restless. This mindset keeps me moving forward, enabling me to discover surprises and multiple facets of identity. I do not believe in one God.
Materials and Technique
Your textile works are particularly vibrant and voluminous. What drew you to textile art, and what are the challenges of working with this medium?
My deep love for textiles, both as decoration and clothing, is something I have inevitably inherited. My mother was a textile engineer, and both of my grandmothers were remarkably skilled in handicrafts. So, something of their talent has certainly passed on to me. Later, I began blending this traditionally feminine material with painting, animation, wood, and even glass. I regard textiles as a medium and technique equal to any other artistic discipline.
Your photomontages and serigraphs blend digital and manual elements. How do you integrate both aspects in your artistic practice?
I have a particular fondness for a kind of “urban pastoral” atmosphere, nothing too Rococo. I enjoy juxtaposing craftsmanship with the digital realm. In my photomontages, for instance, I incorporate a wide range of materials, layering everything from wood and steel to chiffon and wool.
Animation has been a significant part of your career, with award-winning projects such as 7 Brothers. How do you see the relationship between moving images and the other visual arts you practise?
Perhaps working on large-scale animation projects like Seven Brothers and the Kalevala-based The Story of Sampo between the ages of 24 and 29 left a lasting imprint on my art. The sense of movement seems embedded in my work, whether in the postures of figures, the floating visual elements, or the brisk pace of my painting. I enjoy this effect. There is energy in movement, and it opens up space for shifting thoughts and emotions.
Artistic Philosophy and Personal Life
You have mentioned that you work every day but also celebrate life daily. How do you balance artistic discipline with the joy of everyday moments?
I live and work in a paradoxical rhythm. On the one hand, spontaneously, and on the other, systematically. I strive to handle mundane routines efficiently so, that I can dedicate time to joyful and demanding artistic projects.
But above all, my priority is my six grandchildren, aged between 4 and 13. I also make time for hobbies such as playing the piano, practicing yoga, and, in moderation, even golf. Life is too short not to celebrate it.
You engage in activities like winter swimming and yoga. Do these practices influence your artistic inspiration in any way?
As I have already mentioned, these are among my passions. Both provide physical reference points for other creative activities.
Your work carries an optimistic vision despite acknowledging life’s difficulties. Do you believe art has a healing role, both for the artist and the viewer?
Art has its own way of alleviating the burdens of the mind. It can certainly be interpreted as a form of therapy. Also an artist can engage with terrifying societal themes in many ways to awaken people’s awareness, if they feel compelled to do so, but real change happens through politics and economics.
Current and Future Projects
In 2024, you had exhibitions in New York, Seoul, and Venice. What are you currently working on, and what new projects do you have in mind
At the moment, I am working on a new video/art film project. I hope it will capture the depths of the human mind, profound yet humorous and full of joy. Next October I will attend to XV Florence Biennale. Additionally, from May to August, I have a large summer exhibition in central Finland, a smaller one in Helsinki, and my biography, authored by a nonfiction writer and published by DOCENDO (WSOY), is in progress.
Your book Apollon & Heloise introduces a new evolution of Elise. What can we expect from this transformation and from future publications?
Apollon & Heloise was incredibly significant to me. I loved creating it. It became a space of imagination, a legal refuge from the harshness of the world and its countless too sharp angles, as well as a solace during my husband’s serious illness, which ended to his passing away last August. I will undoubtedly continue working with some Elise variation, Elise ́s Elise.
With such an extensive career, is there still an artistic dream or goal you would like to achieve?
Of course, there is. There must be, before death. Though my three sons keep telling me to slow down and take it easy.
BONGA CASTLE
Bonga Castle, your creative base in Loviisa... Could you tell us how this place came to be, and what it means to you today?
My husband Jaakko Seeck and I had long been searching for an intriguing building — a kind of art factory, a place to renovate — even as far as France. Then we came across this gem of a functionalist classic, just 200 kilometers from our home in Helsinki.Bonga is not a home. It is a work camp — a comfortable one. Today, the building functions as a studio for my textile works and also serves as an art gallery and museum.
With over 200 of your works exhibited within its walls, Bonga Castle offers a rare, immersive look into your world. How does working in such an environment influence your creativity?
I don’t spend all my time in Bonga. Mostly, I work in my Helsinki atelier. The entire seaside house in Helsinki is now dedicated to my art, my labor, my archives — everything tied to my creative work.Our three sons are grown, and there are six grandchildren. They no longer live with us, so I have plenty of cubic meters to fill. I travel often and can focus nearly anywhere. I’m not disturbed by old things or memories — though sometimes I do dream of washing everything around me clean, like a tabula rasa, and beginning something radically new.
You have described your projects as expansive and associative. Does having a physical space like Bonga Castle allow you more freedom to explore those large-scale visions?
My large-scale visions live inside my head. They don’t really need walls. Bonga is like a family member — she simply exists, and you cannot truly change her nature.
Do you envision the Castle evolving further in the future — perhaps hosting more public events, residencies, or collaborations?
We’ve hosted many events at Bonga — concerts, parties, gatherings. Perhaps we’ll continue along that path, but not too much. It’s not our dream to have great crowds of people flooding into Bonga.
Bonga Castle
Final Reflections
For young artists searching for their own voice, what advice would you give?
In short: Never give up. Pursue your dreams. Listen selectively, only to what resonates as true and sincere. Avoid repetition. And remember, while you are a subject, you are also an object, a tiny fragment of the universe, impossible to fully define anything.
If you had to summarise your philosophy as an artist and as a person in one sentence, what would it be?
Nosce te ipsum - Know yourself
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