Tamara Piilola (b. 1977) is a Finnish visual artist using painting as her medium. She studied at the Turku Arts Academy and in the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki. Long stays abroad, mainly in France and Germany have influenced her work.

“Tamara Piilola’s large canvases of imaginary landscapes present viewers with startling experiences of nature. These detailed views, full of mystery and light, colour and verdancy, draw viewers to their essence and idea. These are not recognisable landscapes but the creations of countless memories stored over time as photographs and sketches. Thin layers of paint, bold fluent brushstrokes and the use of pure pigments combine to flood the paintings with light.

Landscapes do not always have to be beautiful. Piilola paints wastelands, timber stacks and dunghills, cleverly emphasising their decorativeness. She depicts decaying beauty and allows natural forms to blend into almost abstract surfaces. Occasionally a strong light stops all life in the painting. The surfaces are covered with bright pure colours. These highly detailed landscapes appear to be divorced from the world. They have a special feeling of stagnation, landscapes are memories in the same way as photographs. Glimpses, images, strictly cropped fragments of something real surrounding the picture.”

Veikko Halmetoja
Art Critic

Piilola’s works are included in collections such as the Jenny and Antti Wihuri foundation, Heino Art Foundation, Sara Hildén Art Museum, Didrichsen Art Museum and HAM Helsinki Art Museum collections. She received the Didrichsen Pro Arte award at 2016 including an exhibition in the museum wing at Didrichsen Art Museum in Helsinki, Finland. She is currently living and working in Helsinki.

CV

TAMARA PIILOLA
Visual Artist, b. 1977 
Lives and works in Helsinki, Finland

EDUCATION
2011  MA, Finnish Academy of Fine Arts, Helsinki
2010-11 Hochshule für Grafik Und Buchkunst, class of Prof. Astrid Klein
2003  BA in Fine Arts, Arts Academy at Turku Polytecnic, Finland
1999  Primary Studies in Mediaculture & Arts, Swedish Art School Nykarleby FI

SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2022 TREE IS A MIRACLE, Kunsthalle Seinäjoki, Finland
2021  PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY, Laukko Manor, Vesilahti, Finland
2018  DAYTIME ASTRONOMY, Galerie Forsblom, Helsinki, Finland
2017  FLORA, TM-gallery, Helsinki, Finland
2016  TAMARA PIILOLA, Didrichsen Art Museum, Helsinki, Finland
2015  TEN YEARS LATER, Korjaamo gallery, Helsinki, Finland
2014  STOWAWAY, Galleria Valo, Arktikum, Rovaniemi, Finland
2013  PAINTINGS, Taidesalonki Husa, Tampere, Finland
2012  HER NECKLACE WAS CLIPPED AND HER PEARLS SPRAYED EVERYWHERE, Korjaamo gallery, Helsinki, Finland
2010  ROTTING IN PARALLEL, TM-gallery, Helsinki, Finland
2008  RAINING, THE EARTH BLOOMS, Gallery Aarni, Espoo, Finland
2008  VALERIANA, Gallery Ama, Turku, Finland
2008  SUPERNATURAL, Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris, France
2007  GOD, Photographic Centre Peri, Turku, Finland
2007  LOVE IS SIMPLE, Lasipalatsi exhibition space, Helsinki, Finland
2007  AT TIMES I CAN TASTE THE SWEETNESS OF DEATH, Lahti Art Brewery, Finland
2006 HOW TO BE A TOWER OF IVORY OR A HOUSE OF GOLD, Espace Lissa Gbassa, Grand-Popo, Benin, Africa
2006  FOR THE HEART IS AN ORGAN OF FIRE, Raatihuone Gallery, Turku, Finland
2005  HIDDEN GARDEN, Gallery Pirkko-Liisa Topelius, Helsinki, Finland
2004  IN THE PAINTING, Ateljee Bar, Helsinki, Finland
2003  PRIVACY, Wäinö Aaltonen Museum, Studio, Turku, Finland

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2022 FOR HUMANS AND BEETLES – The Secret of Gardens, Järvenpää Art Museum, Finland
2019 HUMAN ERA, Mänttä Art Festival, Mänttä, Finland
2019 SHARED DREAMS – Works from Heino Art Foundation Collection, Oulu Art Museum, Finland
2019 GROWTH AND LOSS – Hair In Contemporary Art, Oulu Art Museum, Finland
2019 DIDRICHSEN PRO ARTE, Didrichsen Art Museum, Helsinki, Finland
2018 MONKEY AND WATERFALL, Sara Hildén Art Museum, Tampere, Finland
2018 NATURAL STATES, Lapua Art Museum, Lapua, Finland
2017 SEVEN ARTISTS, Galleria Heino, Helsinki, Finland
2017 NATURE OF CULTURE, Viljandi City Gallery, Viljandi, Estonia
2016 THE FLOODED JUNGLE, Kerava Art Museum, Finland
2015 BETWEEN EARTH AND SKY, Gallery Vanha Passi, Karjalohja, Finland
2014 HEARTSIDE UP, Kunsthalle Helsinki, with artists Heini Aho and Sirkku Ketola
2013 PEARLS, Sara Hildén Art Museum, Tampere, Finland
2012 RAJANTAJU, ART CENTER Purnu, Orivesi, Finland
2011 PARALLEL REALITIES, with Heini Aho, Galleri Kakelhallen, Mariehamn, Åland
2010 Condition OK! Sara Hildén Art Museum, Tampere, Finland
2010 Good Morning Africa, Kunsthalle Helsinki, Finland
2009 THE YOUNG 2009, Kunsthalle Helsinki, Finland
2009 PEOPLE DRAWING PEOPLE, South Carelia Art Museum, Finland
2009 NEW MASTERS SHOW, Galleria Fafa, Helsinki, Finland
2008 SCONFINAMENTI, Museo Nazionale di Castel Sant’Angelo, Rome, Italy
2008 UUSI MAALAUS, Lahti Art Museum, Finland
2008 IT’S NOTHING PERSONAL, Galleria Titanik, Turku, Finland
2007 BEASTS, PLANTS & PORCELAIN-WHITE, Quartair Gallery, Den Haag, Netherlands
2007-2000 83.th, 81.st, 80.th, 78.th and 77.th SHOW OF TURKU ART SOCIETY, Turku, Finland
2007 AMERIKKA, Art Center Lovely, Heinola, Finland
2005 EMPIRE AND NOSTALGY, with H. Aho, Gallery Kakelhallen, Mariehamn, Åland
2004 WANDERLUST, with H.Aho, Rajatila Gallery, Tampere, Finland
2004 SKJL 66.th SHOW, Rovaniemi Art Museum, Finland
2004 THE FOREST, Aho, Ketola, Piilola, Poriginal gallery, Pori, Finland
2004 FULL CIRCLE, Temple Bar Gallery, Dublin, Ireland
2003 ”50/50: A No Name Show”, Temple Bar Gallery, Dublin, Ireland
2003 PACIFISTS OF LOVE, Kaapelitehdas, Puristamo, Helsinki, Finland
2002 STUDENTS OF TURUN PIIRUSTUSKOULU, Forum Box, Helsinki, Finland
2001 PIGEONS, Valkoinen Sali, Helsinki, Finland
2001 SIE-project, Estonia, Museum of modern art, Pärnu, Estonia
2001 SIE- project, Art Academy, Tallinn, Estonia
2001 ME- OBJECT, Laugaveg, Reykjavik, Iceland
2000 FLOWERS, BEES AND MASTERS, Köysirata Gallery, Turku, Finland
1999 FINAL WORKS, en Galleri, Nykarleby, Finland

WORKS IN COLLECTIONS
Arts Academy at Turku Polytechnic
City of Mariehamn, Åland
Didrichsen Art Museum
Finnish Art Society
HAM Helsinki Art Museum
Heinola Art Museum
Heino Art Foundation Collection
Hotel Torni, Helsinki
Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation | Rovaniemi Art Museum
Laukko Manor Collection
Salo Art Museum
Sara Hildén Foundation | Sara Hildén Art Museum
Turku City Collection | The Museum Centre of Turku
Turku School of Economics
Wäinö Aaltonen Art Museum

PRIZES & PUBLIC ARTWORKS
2021 CELESTIAL GATEWAY, Mural for Hallila Tramway Underpass, Tampere, Finland
2016 Didrichsen Pro Arte Award, Didrichsen Art Museum, Helsinki, Finland
2010 VIRGINIAS’ TREE, Kindergarten Leppäsuo, Helsinki, Finland
2003 AURAT, Turku Shool of Economics, Finland
2002 TEN-PENNY CHANDELIER, with Aho & Ketola, Turku Arts Academy, Finland

ARTIST-RECIDENCIES
2019 Matera artist recidence, Matera, Italy
2017 Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris, France
2016 Artist villa in Bali, Indonesia
2015 Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris, France
2014 Arenys de Mar, Spain
2014 Wihuri Foundations artist recidence in Rovaniemi, Finland 3 months
2013 Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris, France, 1 month
2013 Casa Finlandese in Grassina, Florence, Italy, 1 month
2011 Finnish Cultural Institute in New York, 2-month recidency, New York, USA
2011 Suomi-house in St. Petersburg, 2-month recidency, Russia
2010 Kone Foundation, Saari recidence (production recidency), Finland
2009 Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris, France, 2 months
2009 Foundation of the Finnish Institute at Athens, Greece, 1 month
2008 Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris, France, 4 months
2008 Skandinavisk Förenings Kunstnerhus, Rome, Italy, 3 months
2006 Recidency in Grand Popo, Benin, Africa, 3 months
2006 Recidency in Grez-sur-Loing/Paris, France, 6 months

MEMBERSHIPS
Finnish Painters‘ Union
Helsinki Artists’ Association
Kuvasto (a  Finnish copyright protector organization)

BIBLIOGRAPHY
2020 Turun Piirustuskoulu Nyt! 2020, 190 vuotta nykytaiteilijoita -juhlajulkaisu
2018 Apina ja vesiputous, Sahim 1/2018, Sara Hildénin taidemuseon julkaisut
2017 Jaakko Belt, filosofinen aikakauslehti Niin & Näin nro 92 taiteilija
2016 Didricsenin taidemuseon julkaisut, Pro Arte 2016 – Tamara Piilola
2016 Harri Mäcklin, ”Upeat maisemat löysivät täydellisen paikan Didrichsenin taidemuseosta”, Helsingin sanomat 8.6.2016
2016 Synnove Rabb, ”Lovsång och elegi”, HBL 4.6.2016
2015 Rovaniemen Taidemuseo 2009-14, Wihurin Rahaston kokoelmaluettelo
2015 Harri Mäcklin ”Unimaisemat siivittävät Korjaamon joutsenlaulua”, HS 23.4.2015
2014 Richard Kautto ”Tutkija merenneidon matkassa”, Lapin Kansa 6.5.2014
2014 Hannu Vanhanen ”Pyörahtämisen ja räiskeen maalari”, Kide 2/2014
2014 Synnove Rabb ”Utflykt till Underlandet”, Huvudstadsbladet 25.3.2014
2014 Harri Mäcklin ” Metsästäjät-kolmikon erilaiset teokset toimivat yhdessä Taidehallissa”, HS 11.3.2014
2014 Bon Sauvage – Luovuuden synty, Toim. Piilola, Ketola, Aho, Kust. Oy. Taide 2014
2013 Karla Löfgren “Jännitteitä pintakiillon alla”, Aamulehti 14.3.2013
2012 Veikko Halmetoja “Maisema kuultaa läpi”, Helsingin Sanomat, 31.10.2012
2011 Mattsson-Eklund, Benita “Livets parallella verkligheter” Ålandstidningen, 16.9.2011
2010 Condition OK! –catalog, Sara Hildén Art Museum, Tampere, Finland
2008 Heikki Merihaara “Puutarhoja joissa näkki voi viedä”, Länsiväylä, 10.12.2008
2008 Sconfinamenti, dalla buona pittura alla video-art, catalog 2008, Italy
2007 Haltia, Mia “Tarinoita paratiisista”, Turun Sanomat, 21.10.2007
2007 Parikka, Jaana “Valokuvamaisia öljymaalauksia”, Etelä-Suomen Sanomat 16.6.07
2006 Tykkyläinen, Mia “Tulen roihu ja virtaava vesi”, Turun Sanomat, 25.9.2006
2006 von Wright, Heidi “Botanisk konst & konst i botanik”, Åbo Underrättelser,9.9.2006
2006 Mezian, Rim “Taiteilija viherpeukalo”, Turun Sanomat, 30.8.2006
2005 Salokorpi, Asko ”Uudelleen löydettu paratiisi”, Uutispäivä Demari, 26.7.2005
2004 Saarela, Katri ”Artist portrait, Tamara Piilola”, Liekki, Radio Dei 6.10.2004
2004 Oikarinen, Maaria ”Kuoleman kanssa”, Taide 6/04
2004 Heljakka, Kati ”Nuorten taitureiden taikametsä”, Satakunnan Kansa, 4.12.2004
2004 Nyrhinen, Tiina ”Kulttuurivaihtoa ja turismin haaveita”, Aamulehti, 2.4.2004
2004 Rouhiainen, Anne ”Madonna näyttäytyy Tornissa”, Helsingin Sanomat, 19.2.2004
2003 Antinluoma, Iina ”Huoneet meissä”, Turun Sanomat, 12.6.2003

MISC
2021-2016 Finnish Painters‘ Union’s exhibition committee member (6y.) and chairman (3y.)
1999-2000 Primary Studies in Art History, Turku University