Mia Mäkelä is a Finnish media artist and cultural historian, whose work explores intersections between art and other disciplines: technology, science, ecology. She is a researcher-artist whose production is based on a deep need to understand and take into account the non-human world.
Mäkelä uses expert knowledge and empirical research as part of her media artworks. In her artistic process, she steps into the worlds she describes and turns into an algae hunter, a zookeeper, a bird watcher, a beekeeper. Her works manifest a long-term observation and examination of her subjects. She challenges us to see the limitations of human senses and to look at the world in a larger continuum.
“An artist has the capacity to adapt to various roles in society : an intruder, a buffer, a metamorphosis, a provocateur, a clown, an antennae… . Artists can provide non-expertism, which can offer valuable insights.”
In Ii Mäkelä works with her research on the relationship between trees and humans.
“People tend to feel better when there are trees around.”
Mia Mäkelä and Johanna Lonka will hold a joint project exhibition in the KulttuuriKauppila Gallery April 24.-28. Mäkelä will be present at an artist meet Wednesday 26th April 3-6 pm.