Riitta Päiväläinen is known for her temporary site-specific installations in nature, consisting of second-hand clothing and flea market fabrics. She has worked as artist photographer since 1997.  Keywords of her work are: landscape, place, nature, second-hand clothing, ribbon and fabric installations, memory, remembrance, micro history, childhood, unconscious, imaginary meetings, alternative and potential stories.

"During the working process, I am looking for a certain place that after being found, works as a starting point for my photography – a specific feeling, memory, shape, structure, colour or element of the surrounding nature functions as an inspiration. 

I am interested in the silent places that are abandoned, secluded and uninhabited. The significance of them is in the possibility of seeing them as source of imagination, creation, relaxation;  seeing the world from a different perspective. "

Born in Maaninka in 1969. Lives and works in Helsinki, Finland. Since her graduation from the University of Art and Design in Helsinki in 2002, Riitta Päiväläinen has had numerous solo and group exhibitions around the world. Her work today can be found in several important public and private collections, like Kiasma (The Museum of Contemporary Art) in Helsinki and State Art Council in Sweden.

portrait photo by Ari Saarto                                                                                                               

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CURRICULUM VITAE

EDUCATION
2002  Master of Arts, University of Art and Design, Helsinki, FI , Department of Photography
1998  Bachelor of Art, University of Art and Design, Helsinki, FI, Department of Photography

SOLO SHOWS
2019  Galleri Andersson Sandström, Stockholm, Sweden
2018  Gallery TaiK Persons, Berlin, Germany
2016  Gallery Valo, Arktikum Centre, Rovaniemi, Finland
2016  Gallery Camara Oscura, Madrid, Spain
2015  Yumiko Chiba Associates, Viewing Room, Tokyo, Japan
2014  Korjaamo Gallery, Helsinki, Finland
2014  Galleri Andersson Sandström, Umeå, Sweden
2014  Galleri Andersson Sandström, Stockholm, Sweden
2009  Skövde Art Museum with Pasi Välimaa, Sweden
2009  Gallery Confluence, solo exhibition, Nantes, France
2008/09 Kerava Art Museum, “Wanderings and Imaginary Meetings” with Ari Saarto, Finland
2008  Gallery Camara Oscura, with Aino Kannisto, Madrid, Spain
2008  Kemi Art Museum, “Wanderings and Imaginary Meetings” with Ari Saarto, Kemi, Finland
2007/08 Galleri Andersson Sandström, Umeå, Sweden
2007  National Museum of Szczecin, “Wanderings and ImaginaryMeetings”, with Ari Saarto, Szczecin, Poland
2007  Jönköping Art Museum, Jönköping, Sweden
2006  Haninge Art Museum, Haninge, Sweden
2006  Gävle Konstcentrum, Gävle, Sweden
2005  Gallery Archifax, with Ari Saarto, Genoa, Italy
2004  Gallery Valo, Rovaniemi, Finland
2004  City Library of Jönköping, Jönköping, Sweden
2003  Gallery Dina4Projekte, München, Germany
2003  Gallery Stefan Andersson, Umeå, Sweden
2003  Arktikum -centre, Rovaniemi, Finland
2002  Gallery Artina, Helsinki, Finland
2002  Gallery Romfeia, with Ari Saarto, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
2001  The Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal, England
2001  Photographic Centre Nykyaika, Tampere, Finland
2000  VB Photographic Centre, with Nanna Hänninen, Kuopio, Finland
2000  Northern Photographic Centre, Oulu, Finland
1999   Gallery Hippolyte, Helsinki, Finland
1998   Gallery Zinc, Stockholm, Sweden

GROUP EXHIBITIONS (selected)
2021 “New Perspectives Through Photography – 25 years of the Helsinki School”, group show, Kunsthalle Helsinki, Finland 
2021 “Kenen luonto?/Whose nature?”, curated group show, NorthernPhotographic Centre, Oulu, Finland
2021 “Kenen luonto?/Whose nature?”, curated group show, Kunsthalle Turku, Finland
2021 “TamingNature”, Jaakko Kahilaniemi, Sandra Kantanen and Riitta Päiväläinen, Gallery Valerius, Luxemburg
2020 “The Nature of Being“, group exhibition, Gallery Persons Projects, Berlin, Germany
2020 “Frischer Wind aus dem Norden”, curated group show, Kunsthalle St Annen, Lubeck, Germany
2019-20 “LandEscapes”, Kunsthalle Borås, Sweden
2019  “Finnish Aalto”, curated group show, Busan Museum of Art, Busan, South Korea
2019  “Forest.Enter.Exit.”, curated group exhibition, MEWO Kunsthalle, Menningen, Germany
2018 “Nature as Playground, Gallery H, Trade Center Store, Seoul, South Korea
2018 “New Territory, Landscape Photography Today”, curated group exhibition, Denver Art Museum, Denver, USA
2018 “Nature as Playground”, curated group exhibition, Museum of Photography, Seoul, South Korea
2018 “Elèctric i llunyà, Fotografía contemporánea”, Colección OlorVISUAL, Barcelona, Spain
2018 “Imaginary Meeting”, The Collections of Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation, Rovaniemi Art Museum, Rovaniemi, Finland
2017-18“Real Celebration”, The Collections of Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation, Rovaniemi Art Museum, Rovaniemi, Finland
2017 “Beautiful Horror”, The Collections of Kuopio Art Museum, Kuopio, Finland
2017 “Independence Through The Lenses”, touring exhibition: Latvian Museum of Photography, Riga, Latvia/ FLUSS, Wolkersdorf, Germany/ Robert Capa Contemporary  Photography Center, Budapest, Hungary
2017 “Fabric Works” Louise Bourgeois, Angela de la Cruz, MetaIsæus-Berlin, Riitta Päiväläinen, Ulf Rollof, Galleri Andersson Sandström, Stockholm, Sweden
2017 “Smell of Málaga: olfactory perceptions of colección olorVisual”, Museo del Patrimonio Municipal, Málaga, Spain
2016-17“Second Skin”, Museum Sinclair House, Bad Homburg v. d. Höhe Germany
2016 “My Silence,” group show, Kuopio Art Museum, Kuopio, Finland
2015 “Daikanyama Photo Fair”, Tokyo, Japan
2015 “Ellas - Creadoras de los siglos XX Y XXI”, CAC Vélez-MálagaFrancisco Hernández, Vélez-Málaga, Spain
2013 “Sensibility”, group show, Korjaamo Gallery, Helsinki, Finland
2013 “New Wave Finland - Contemporary Photography from the HelsinkiSchool, ASF/ Scandinavia House, New York, USA
2012-13“7th Wave - Wihuri and Visual Art”, Kunsthalle Helsinki, FI
2012 “Helsinki Abstract”, Gallery Nikolaus Ruzicska, Salzburg, Austria
2011 “Female View”, FotoRaum, Wien, Austria
2011 “Helsinki School”, Christophe Guye Galerie, Zurich, Switzerland
2011 “Within/Beyond Borders”, European Investment Bank, Byzantine& Christian Museum, Athens, Greece
2011 “Alice in Wonderland”, Logomo, Turku, Finland
2010-11“Suu kuin seitsemän leivän uuni”, Adel Abidin, Pasi Karjula, Pentti Kaskipuro, Hilda Kozári, Riitta Päiväläinen, Vantaa Art Museum, FI
2010 “The Helsinki School at Daegu Photo Biennale Korea”, Daegu, Korea
2010 “Highlighted - Contemporary Finnish photography from the collection of Pieter and Marieke Sanders”, Nieuw Dakota, Amsterdam,Holland
2009 “Regards croisés, Les oeuvres de la BEI à la BCEE”,Luxembourg, Luxembourg
2008 “XIII Mänttä Art Festival”, Mänttä, Finland
2007 “6th Biennale de la Photographie Arficaine”, curated group show, Mali, Africa
2007 “Photo Finnish, The Helsinki School”, Sternersen Art Museum,Oslo, Norway
2007 “Helsinki School”, Art Foyer DZ Bank, Frankfurt, Germany
2006-07“Facing East: Contemporary Landscape Photography from BalticAreas”, Yard Gallery, Nottingham, England
2006 “Vad är Fotografi? Helsinki School”, Borås Art Museum, Borås, Sweden
2006 “Kolme Tietä”, Kuopio Art Museum, with Nanna Hänninen and Taina Kontio, Kuopio, Finland
2006 “The Helsinki School, Finnish photography from the 21st century”, Hôtel de ville de Bruxelles, Grand-Place, Brussels, Belgium
2006 “Facing East”, Tullie House & Art Gallery, Carlisle, England
2006 “Various Artists: The Helsinki School”, Gallery Photology, Milan, Italy
2005 “Helsinki School, The New Approach”, Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, Germany
2005 “Peinture Fraîche II: Jeune Création Finlandaise”, Kerava Art Museum, Finland
2005 “Personally”, Kulturhuset, Stockholm, Sweden
2005 “Under Your Skin”, Gallery White Box, New York, USA
2005 “30 by TaiK”, Museum of Finnish Photography, Helsinki, Finland
2004 “Gokann”, 4th Triennial of the Finnish Artists’Association, Helsinki Kunsthalle, Helsinki, Finland
2004 “Facing East”, The Arts Institute at Bournemouth, England/Impressions Gallery, York, England
2004 “Peinture Fraîche: Jeune Création Finlandaise”, Nanterre, France
2004 “Zeitgenössische Fotokunst Aus Finnland”, Salo Art Museum, Finland
2003 “Gokann”, 4th Triennial of the Finnish Artists’ Association, Kyoto, Japan
2003 “Summer”, Kerava Art Museum, Kerava, Finland
2003 “Ordinary everyday”, Vantaa Art Museum, Vantaa, Finland
2003 “Zeitgenössische Fotokunst Aus Finnland”, touring group exhibition, Germany
2002 “Artstorm”, touring group exhibition, Sweden, Denmark,Finland, Iceland, Norway
2000 “Jatulintarha”, finnish-brittish artists exhange 2000-2002, Finland, England
2000 “Our Friends From The North”, Hatfield, England
1999 “Exhibition ´99”, The Association Gallery, London, England

COMMISSIONS
2021 Region Stockholm, Konstväxlingar, The metro station of Mariatorget, Stockholm, Sweden
2004 The city of Jönköping, “Unwritten History, Memory, Landscape”, Sweden

WORKING ABROAD/ RESIDENCIES
2017  Muodoslompolo, artist residency of The Artists Association of Lapland, Finland
2016 The Åland Archipelago Guest Artist Residence in Kökar, Finland
2015 The Saari Residence, Kone Foundation, 2 months, Mietoinen, Finland
2013 Mustarinda artist residency, Kainuu, Finland
2004 Aomori, working period/ 3 months, Japan
2003 Jenny and Antti Wihuri Association/ Artist and working residency, Rovaniemi, 3 months, Finland
2002 Kökar, artist residency, Finland
2001 Seascale, Ravenglass, England (Jatulintarha-project)

ARTIST BOOKS/CATALOGUES
2009 Artist book “Riitta Päiväläinen,  Imaginary Meetings”, publisher Kehrer Verlag, Heidelberg, Germany
2007 Catalogue “Riitta Päiväläinen,  Imaginary Meeting, Structura, Camouflage”, ISBN 952-92-073-X, text by Hasse Persson
2003 Catalogue “Riitta Päiväläinen, Vestige, Series Ice and Wind”, ISBN 952-91-5986-2, text by Andreas Vowinckel

AWARDS
2020 Lensculture Exposure Awards Finalist and Jurys pick
2011 William Thuring prize of the Fine Arts Society of Finland, FI

WORKS IN COLLECTIONS
Kiasma, Collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Finland
Museum of Finnish Photography, Helsinki, Finland
Finnish State
The State Art Council, Sweden
Jönköping Art Museum, Sweden
Kuopio Art Museum, Finland
Saastamoinen Foundation, Finland
Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation, Finland
The City of Jyväskylä, Finland
The City of Jönköping, Sweden
The City of Tampere, Finland
The City of Skellefteå, Sweden
The City of Umeå, Sweden
Balticgruppen Umeå, Sweden
County Council of Västerbotten, Sweden
Kultur Gävleborg, Gävle, Sweden
Haninge Kunsthalle, Haninge, Sweden
Edition Eklund, Sweden
Uppsala Landsting, Sweden
Apotekets Kunstförening, Sweden
DZ-Bank Collection, Frankfurt, Germany
European Investment Bank in Luxemburg, Luxemburg
Collection olorVISUAL, Spain
Private collections (Belgium, England, Finland, France, Germany, Holland,Italy, Japan, Norway, Spain, Switzerland,Turkey)