Girly, quirky, kitsch, sensuous, psychological, and mythical are all adjectives frequently added when interpreting Ainala´s paintings. A world where feminine figures and hybrids play a significant role and where a myriad of symbols and references unfold. The interiors and landscapes are luscious and exaggerated. Time is warped and we find ourselves in an “Alice in Wonderland”, or “Digi-Disney After Dark”, where everything is spirited.
Intricately detailed, Ainala´s works exhibit the human body, where ambivalent gestures and awkwardness are in focus. Stigmatization and objectification are recurring themes as are references to art and cultural history. Carefully stylised and with thoughtful symbolism we witness theatrical dramas which enable multiple interpretations.
Emma Ainala, (b.1989), lives and works in Savonlinna, Finland and graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki, in 2013. Ainala's solo and group exhibitions include CHART Art Fair, Copenhagen, Denmark (2022), Hyvinkää Art Museum, Hyvinkää, Finland (2020), Finlandsinstitutets Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden (2020), Jyväskylä Art Museum, Jyväskylä, Finland (2019), Mikkeli Art Museum, Mikkeli, Finland (2017) and Charlottenborg Spring Exhibition, Copenhagen, Denmark (2018). Notable collections include The Niemistö Collection, Mikkeli Art Museum, Oulu Museum of Art OMA Collection, The City of Oulu Collection, The Collection of the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts, The Saastamoinen Foundation's Art Collection, Lars Göran Johnssons Samling, Turku Art Museum, Jyväskylä Art Museum, Finnish Art Society & Kerava Art Museum.