Tini Sauvo’s retrospective exhibition fills the Tile and Cellar Galleries in July. On display are textile paintings and material-based mixed-media works. Photographer Tero Makkonen and sound designer Esa Lindroos also contribute to creating a mythical world. The opening takes place on Tuesday, July 28, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Tini Sauvo (b. 1946) has spent her career working as an illustrator and animator. She began her career as an independent artist in 2002. Based on colorful watercolors created in Benin, Tini produced a series of textile paintings in Finland. The exhibition "Villa Karon kangat" (Fabrics of Villa Karo) was shown at Galleria Dix the following year.

Tini developed the techniques and modes of expression for her material-based works. The results were showcased in numerous solo and group exhibitions over the following years. These projects led to a collaboration with photographer Tero Makkonen and sound designer Esa Lindroos. The group has already produced several multidisciplinary exhibitions in galleries across Finland.

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We are woven from the same fabric as dreams.

Ever since childhood, I have drawn pictures and spun tales. I crafted little dolls, embroideries, and trinkets. I wrote poems in a small blue notebook.

In the 1960s, I studied graphic design at what was then the Ateneum. Afterward, I had to choose between a well-paid job in the commercial sector and an uncertain future as an illustrator. I became an illustrator—an eternal freelancer—and in the field of children’s culture, no less, which offers the poorest prospects for employment and income.

At first, I illustrated texts written by others, and later, my own stories. I created drawings for educational programs and schoolbooks aimed at children and young people. From television, it was a short step to animated films. Into them, I poured my soul, my imagination, and my ever-developing professional skills.

The transition from illustration, storytelling, and animation to fine art happened seamlessly. I simply changed my tools and methods.

The residency period at Villa Karo in Benin began as if the bung had suddenly popped out of a full barrel. Everything that had been hidden and pent up for decades surged forth like a roaring torrent. And that abundant flow has not run dry. Creativity is a self-renewing natural resource; the more you use it, the more plentiful it becomes.

Welcome to share these dreams, images, and imaginings with me!

FOT ry Freelance graphic artists has kindly supported this exhibition.

Above Tini Sauvo: Sähkökatko/Power failure, painting on double silk, 2010

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