Artist Statement. Chromatic Echoes of a Soul's Migration.
She is cartographer of light, tracing the sun's indelible lines across her soul. From the incandescent embrace of her African childhood to the golden hues of Tuscany, the serene luminosity of her Nordic home in Finland, and the cherished, unique light of Ile de Re on the France Atlantic coast- a beloved Island that forever holds a piece of her artistic heart - light has been her muse. Like a vibrant memory breaking through the walls of intertwine in her art. The sea, in its myriad forms, serves as a fluid mirror to this dance of light, echoing the shores that have held her gaze across continents and the Island waves she long to return to.
Her art is an emotional archaeology. Through layered acrylics, soft pastels, and mixed media. She translate the chromatic echoes of these landscapes. Her canvases become palimpsests of experience, where the raw energy of an African dawn informs a Finnish twilight, the warmth of Tuscany finds a resonance in the salty air of Ile de Re, and the pull the sea connects distant shores, each a vital chapter in her creative narrative.
She seeks not to replicate, but to evoke - the weight of the African sun, the shimmer of Italian light, the stillness of a Nordic sea, the gentle radiance of Ile de Re. Her paintings are invitation to feel these resonances, to sense the interconnectedness of seemingly disparate worlds, they are a testament to the enduring power of memory and the soul's journey across diverse lands and waters, with the spirit of a cherished French Island often whispering through the hues and textures.
As an artist shaped by these migrations of light and place, she offers these chromatic echoes as a form of silent communion , May they remind us that within each of us resides a unique tapestry woven from the threads of memory, light, and the enduring pull of the horizon, with certain threads shimmering with the indelible beauty a beloved Island.
A Bit About Her
Arlia-Hamda Elmi born in Somalia and she is an abstract expressionist artist who currently lives and works in Helsinki, Finland. Her art is known for its vibrant and colorful abstract paintings of different sizes. She spent part of my youth in Tuscany, Italy. At the age of 15, She emigrated to Finland, where she began her studies and worked in the world of art, fashion, and design. she has been painting since she was four years old and started creating fine art in 1995.
Art has always been a tender place for her, and painting has been her escape from the darkness of the world. Her brushstrokes are bold, and her sense of color is magical. She lest the creative expression within her reach the canvas like a mysterious language. Her vision is to create a world of beauty, light, peace, and vibrant colors. Her technique is a mixture of an abstract style and breathtaking colors. By experimenting with texture and drying processes while using acrylics, She has developed a unique technique. She applies several layers of thick paint to the canvases and use different tools and her fingers to shape the paint. Some sections are almost sculptures on their own. The light source is another important element in my work. She is a spiritual person and loves nature. The sun and the moon, the sea and the sky, animals, humans, trees, and flowers all inspire her and work with energy and light.
She loves working on many pieces at once because the variety keeps her present in the painting process, and she doesn't feel the anxiety that often occurs when she is pressured to finish a single painting. She recognized this tendency early in her career and developed a solution that allowed her to be productive and at peace with herself at the same time. Her main goals in painting is to create unforgettable, dynamic, and colorful artwork that inspires viewers and has profound meaning and sustainable value.
EDUCATION: 2000 BA, The Southwest Finland Institute for Art, Craft and Design
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS:
02 Mar - 02 Apr 2024
OMAGGIO ALLE DONNE
Exhibition of Contemporary Artists, (women group exhibition),
Villa de Claricini Dornpacher, Bottenicco di Moimacco, Italy
from 2 Mar to 2 Apr 2024
11 May 2023 - 5 January 2024
The Route of LEONARD DA VINCI, International Itinerant Exhibition, (group exhibition), Villa de Claricini Dornpacher, Bottenicco di Moimacco, Italy
I COLORI della Calabria Jonica Mostra, Simposio Internazionale d’arte contemporanea, (group exhibition), Alba Chiare – Marina Blu, Montepaone Lido, Calabria, Italy
L’Arte nel Cuore, “Arte nel cuore” Un viaggio affascinante nelle emozioni degli artisti, (group exhibition), Circola Culturale San Clemente, Povoletto, Italy
FANTASMAGORIE – Exhibtion of Contemporary Artist in Avellino, (group exhibition), Museo Irpino Ex Carcere Borbonico, Avellino, Italy
ARCHFUSION, 18th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, (group exhibition), The Pavilion of the Republic of Niger, Africa, Isola San Servolo, Venice, Italy
STOCCOLMA, Exhibition of Contemporary Artists, (group exhibition), Alviks Bibliotek, Stockholm, Sweden
13 May - 15 September 2022
FINLANDIA, Exhibition of Contemporary Artists, (group exhibition), Sello Library / Anna Gallery, Espoo, Finland
UCCELLACCI E UCCELLINI, an Art exhibition dedicated to the centenary of the birth of Pier Paolo Pasolini, (group exhibition), Complessso Monumentale ex Carcere Borbonico, Avellino, Italy
ARTE COME REALTA´ E PROFEZIA, (group exhibition). Asmalimescit Art Gallery, in Istanbul, Turkey
25 March - 30 October 2021
ARIE ITALIANE, Art Exhibition of Contemporary Artists, (group exhibition), Palazzo Toppo Wassermann, Travesio, Italy
SUGGESTIONI DANTASHE, Exhibition of Italian Contemporary Artists, (group exhibition), Villa de Claricini Dornpacher, Bottenicco di Moimacco, Italy
EXTRA MOENIA, Art Show, (group exhibition), San Servolo, Venice, Italy
DANTE 700: TRA OMBRE E LUCI, VII centenary of Dante Alighieri's death, Villa de Claricini Dornpacher, Bottenicco di Moimacco, Italy
10 May - 6 October 2019
PITTURA A NORDEST, The International Art Exhibition, Villa Farsetti, Santa Maria di Sala, Venice, Italy
ITALIAN AIRS, Exhibition of Italian Contemporary Artists, (group exhibition), Asmalimescit Art Gallery, in Istanbul, Turkey
ARTE ESPOO FINLANDIA, Italiarts “Arte Espoo Finlandia, (group exhibition), Sello Library / Anna Gallery, Espoo, Finland
MUTATIONS, Venice Biennale. The initiative, entitled “San Servolo Island Event – Mutations”, San Servolo Servizi Metropolitan - Venice
ART FAIRS:
30 Abril - 8 May 2022
PORDONONE ARTE – ANTIQUARIA, Art and Antiques, Market Exhibition of Modern and Contemporary Art, (group exhibition), Asmalimescit Art Gallery, Udine, Italy
11 January - 19 January 2020
PORDENONE ARTE, Market Exhibition of Modern and Contemporary Art, painting, sculpture, and visual art, (group exhibition), Asmalimescit Art Gallery, Udine, Italy
2 November - 10 November 2019
ITALIAN AIRS, Tüyap Sanat Fuari – Art Fair, Asmalimescit Art Gallery, in Istanbul, Turkey