Raisa Raekallio & Misha del Val: You Wouldn’t Believe What I Saw on My Evening Walk Yesterday

Raisa Raekallio and Misha del Val have painted together for over a decade. Their collaboration is grounded in deep trust and mutual attentiveness – an atmosphere that allows both to express themselves freely, unbound by predefined roles or limitations. Their works emerge from a shared space where each voice is heard. For them, the studio is not only a place of work but a site of community, where trust and dialogue merge into a single creative process. Rather than diminishing their individuality, collaboration amplifies their respective strengths, giving rise to a unique shared reality. The painting process unfolds as a dialogue not only between the two artists, but also with the work itself: together, they listen to what the painting wishes to say, following where it leads. Gradually, each work begins to reveal its own character, and the artists respond sensitively to its guidance. For Raekallio and del Val, painting is a delicate balance between revealing and concealing.

Nature remains an enduring source of inspiration for both artists. Living amid the wilderness in the village of Sirka in Kittilä, the artists are keen observers of the shifting nuances of light, season, and atmosphere – changes that are especially striking in Lapland. In their new series, snow emerges as a dominant motif, within which surprising and incongruous figures appear: a skiing mystic, a nun, a philosopher – alongside whimsical objects such as fruit, flip-flops, or a laughing Great Grey Owl. The literature-loving pair have even hidden a bookshelf in the middle of the forest in their paintings. Through these playful twists, a dreamlike, gently distorted world unfolds from the majestic, snow-covered landscape.

Raisa Raekallio (born 1978, Kittilä) and Misha del Val (born 1979, Bilbao) have exhibited widely in Finland, the Nordic countries, and internationally. Their work has been shown at venues including the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, Turku Art Museum, Rovaniemi Art Museum, and Oulu Art Museum. They have received several awards, including the Finnish Artists’ Association’s Award (2023) and the William Thuring Prize (2022). Their works are represented in numerous notable collections, including those of the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, the Wihuri Foundation, the Saastamoinen Foundation, the Niemistö Collection, and the BilbaoArte Collection.