Nelly Toussaint is a French artist born in 1986 who lives and works in Finland since 2017. After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Photography from Paris 8 University in 2010, she obtained a Master’s degree in Fine Arts from La Villa Arson in 2014. She then spent two years studying printmaking at the Helsinki Fine Arts Academy, graduating with an MFA in 2025. Her work is present in numerous private and public collections such as Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma in Finland and the BNF in France. Her artworks have been exhibited in several countries, including: France, Belgium, Monaco, Germany, Finland, and Estonia.
Nelly Toussaint questions the representation of women in Western art history and its use as a tool of domination, by re-drawing intaglio prints from art museums’ collections, embroidering feminist slogans with her own hair and drawing self-portraits. By blending personal experiences, Western art history and feminist critique, Toussaint is changing the narrative dominated by oppressive patriarchal representations, in order to liberate women’s bodies and stories.
Nelly Toussaint was an artist in residency in TYPA from Jan-Feb 2026.
During her residency, she and Tania Bàkum opened “Embrace and Dance”, a duo exhibition at Rõdugalerii. “Embrace and Dance” was the mantra of their residency. In the creative process, not everything went according to plan, and not everything happened perfectly or as one would like. That is why it is important to be able to maintain balance and to embrace one’s mistakes. This is what they did. They worked to the fullest, while accepting the imperfection of the ideas as they were realized. And after that, they danced, accepting their work as “good enough.
“Embrace and Dance” was about the ability to keep a balance between expectations and results, and about working with imperfection in reality. It was open to visitors from 13.02.2026-1.03.2026
On the 21st of February, Toussaint hosted a workshop where she introduced participants to the technique of photogravuer.
She writes about her residency as follows:
“Taking part in the Typa residency was a genuinely positive experience for me. The calm and friendly environment allowed me to focus fully on my work, and the well-equipped studio gave me the opportunity to experiment with different techniques. A big thank you to the Typa team, who made me feel right at home.”