Tiina Elina Nurminen: Follow the Sunshine

Tiina Elina Nurminen often works on the same painting for extended periods of time – sometimes even for years. She alternates between phases of intense engagement and moments of distance, allowing the painting to reveal what it still requires. This meandering process is central to her practice, enabling the work to unfold organically, guided primarily by intuition. Nurminen draws inspiration from everyday life: moments spent in nature, the intimacy of her daily surroundings, and the emotions she experiences. Her palette, too, comes together in an equally intuitive manner.

Delicately dancing lines take centre stage in Nurminen’s paintings. Her distinctive treatment of line seems to emanate from deep within, rooted in a strong instinctive trust and an untutored sense of where the line itself wishes to travel. Nurminen often listens to music while painting, and as she listens, her lines respond to its rhythm – following and falling into step with its tempo.

Flowers feature prominently among the motifs in her most recent works – though they carry meanings that extend beyond their visible forms. The universal shapes of plants evoke life and its cyclical nature, serving as reminders of how delicate, fragile, and ultimately fleeting existence can be. Life blossoms, reaches its peak, and gradually fades away – much like the wilting blooms depicted in her paintings.

Tiina Elina Nurminen (b. 1967) graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in 1994 and later studied in Frankfurt under Per Kirkeby. Her works are held in several of Finland’s most significant collections, including the Saastamoinen Foundation, the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation, the Espoo Museum of Modern Art EMMA, and the Helsinki Art Museum HAM.

With thanks to: The Arts Promotion Centre Finland (Taike)