“Strange Familiar” is the duo exhibition of Mimma Tuomisalo and Mira Vornanen, the first artist residents of 2025 at TYPA Art Center. Both Tuomisalo and Vornanen are Finnish visual artists working within the expanded field of printmaking. In Strange Familiar, they bring together their individual bodies of work under a shared title.
A context-driven approach unites Tuomisalo and Vornanen’s artistic practices. The short geographical distance and cultural similarities between Finland and Estonia—and, conversely, their unexpected differences—have influenced both artists’ processes, which often begin with observation. Initial interpretations prove fragile as the seemingly familiar reveals itself to be strange. A new finding charms and intrigues, and thought is nudged into unexpected directions by novel associations.
Mimma Tuomisalo’s work in the exhibition, along with her accompanying publication, explores architectural ornamentation and the values associated with them. The appearance of a “koristaja” in the art center’s calendar led her to connect the theme to broader questions of building maintenance. The term koristaja, when directly translated from Finnish, means “decorator” or “embellisher”. Tuomisalo’s publication juxtaposes the act of decoration and maintenance with Adolf Loos’ famous essay Ornament and Crime. The publication is printed using the monotype letterpress casting technique and incorporates ornamental typefaces from TYPA’s archives. Alongside the publication, Tuomisalo’s prints seen in the exhibition visually examine and reinterpret historical arguments against ornamentation. When critics aimed to cast decorated buildings in a negative light, the debate easily veered into trivial yet effective metaphors, like the doubts regarding gingerbread that depicts a baby in the arms of a horse rider.
Mira Vornanen’s artwork deals with her observations she has made while living in a new place. Though Estonia is not far from Finland, some things are different. The deep red hue of the sand, the beautiful blue-green tone of the blue spruce (Picea pungens), and the peculiar presence of Ramalina, a large lichen, have caught her attention. Vornanen’s work explores themes of fragility and transience, drawing inspiration from these subtle yet profound encounters. In the exhibition, she uses lichen and handmade paper crafted from flax fiber—materials that, despite their delicate nature, reveal an unexpected strength.
Mimma Tuomisalo (b. 1994) is a visual artist and an architect, whose works (often removed) feature surprising narratives and associations offering an emotional approach to themes regarding the built environment. Tuomisalo often works with a text besides her visual practice and allows visual and verbal intermingle. She holds a Master’s degree both in printmaking from the Academy of Fine Arts, Helsinki and in architecture from Aalto University.
Mira Vornanen (b.1990) is a visual artist and a gardener. Currently, her work is grounded in walking and capturing scenes through photography and writing. In her art, she reflects on themes of seeing and touching, as well as the human experience in relation to the rest of nature. Vornanen holds a Master’s degree in printmaking from the Academy of Fine Arts, Helsinki. She previously graduated as a visual artist from the Art Academy of the Turku University of Applied Sciences in 2018 and as a gardener in 2009. Exchange studies in Japan have also influenced her thinking and sense of aesthetics.