After many years of living abroad, in the winter of 2026 I was given the opportunity to return to my home town of Turku to work on my artistic practice. Thanks to Titanik Gallery’s A.i.R Residency programme, I was able to breathe in the fresh Nordic air, exist, think, and create in absolute peace for two whole months. The gallery and my studio within it quickly became an oasis to me, a place for stillness and reflection.
During my residency, I developed a new kind of focus to my work that I didn’t possess before as a young artist. In addition to creating new pieces and building on existing projects, I refined my processes which allowed me to expand from my main practice as an image-maker to sound art. I’m currently working on new sound pieces inspired by the one created during my A.i.R Residency.
The support of residencies and programmes such as this is crucial for artists to develop careers with longevity and meaningful cultural significance. Initiatives providing material support, such as work spaces and tools, help democratise the wider art world allowing more diverse stories and works to reach the public eye. From a personal point of view, I can testify that the way I developed as an artist
during my two months in Turku has been invaluable and helped me refine the direction of my career path.
