Artist Statement

“I feel that important events happen in a person’s life, chapters and situations in life that tell me about the life we’re living right now. These situations tell me so much about how people care about each other, how they care about themselves, and what things feel like to them at any given moment. I’m interested in all of those little moments in which we face each other, for example when we’re face-to-face and silent, and how we’re present to each other in different situations. I’m interested in the gaze of living beings, and the thoughts behind that gaze. I try to capture those thoughts using photography, and I usually call that thought a feeling”.

Captured through her unique viewpoint, Marika Pentikäinen photographs emotions. Her portraits are human landscapes, focused on the small gestures of human interactions- sometimes loud, wild and free, at other times quiet and contemplative-each image exploring the person within and allowing them to simply be as they are.

The people she photographs are a constant inspiration, especially the parts of a person which can’t be easily seen such as human destinies, relationships, tension, thoughts and feelings. She is intrigued by the human mind’s range of emotions, and whether shooting in a studio setting or location it is always her intention to convey what is felt in the moment; be it happiness and love, or sadness, longing and hate.

Pentikäinen lives between Singapore, US and Finland, using photography as her visual medium to write the world for people to see; her work is a wordless, creative and passionate form of communication between people and different perspectives.

Education

2015 Helsinki Desing school, Photography, FIN

2015 Street Photography, David Julian, Alan Lawrence, SEA, US

2016 Portraits, Scott Kelby, SEA, US

2017 Family Portraits, Jackie Jean, SEA,US 2017 Learning Lighting, Kyle Chan, TAC, US

2017 Bellevue College, Photography, SEA, US

2017 PhotoCenter NW, Wetplate, Danielle Carillo, SEA, US

2017 PhotoCenter NW, Natural Light, Bethanie Mitchell, SEA, US

2019 Objectifs Centre for Photography & Film, Street Photography, Sha Ying, SIN

Exhibitions

2016 City Panorama, Photographic Centre NW, Photomural, SEA, US

2018 Bemis Arts Spring Show, SEA, US

2018 The Punch project, Barnstrom, ELLESBURG, US

2020 Mads Milano, Dream Room, MILAN, IT

2020 Mads Milano,Breakout, MILAN, IT

2020 Rossocinabro Gallery, ROMA, IT

2021 MAMAG Modern Art Museum, Austria, AT

Publications

2018 Salan Art Magazine 1st Edition, US

2019 Inside Artists 17st Edition, London, UK

2020 Contemporary Art Curator 2020 The Great Masters of Contemporary Art book, Roma, IT

Awards

2017 IPA, Honorable Mention, Poetry, US, ASIA

2017 IPA, Honorable Mention, Birth, US, ASIA

2018 ONE EYELAND, Bronze, Freedom Of Water, US, ASIA

2018 PRIX DE LA PHOTOGRAPHE, Bronze, Freedom Of Water, PARIS

2018 TIFA, Honorable Mention, Freedom Of Water, TOKYO

2019 MIFA, Honorable Mention, Freedom Of Water, MOSCOW

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Whiff

fine art on paper

54 x 36 cm

with frame 65 x 46 cm