Villi Akka
2014–2023
Villi Akka began with my research into the archetypes of the wild woman and wise woman, and their representations as feminine and non-male figures in tales, oral stories and written traditions. The project became both an act of resistance against the violent systems in which we are embedded and a celebration of the untamed feminine in tension with the biopolitical masculine.
Over time, it grew from independent artistic research and studio work into a multivoiced, open dialogue. Workshops and gatherings brought stories, experiences, symbols, rituals and different understandings of the wild and wise into the work, reshaping Villi Akka into an ambiguous being: wise and cosmic, yet deeply earthy. Through photography, performance, embroidery, textiles, text and participatory encounters, the project explored intuition, instinct, situated and diasporic knowledges, empowering acts and the multiplicity of our identities.
Selected artworks and documentation from different exhibitions and iterations of Villi Akka:
Some of the visual works were connected to fragments of tales, songs and poems developed during the project, with numbers linking images and texts.
“You are not lost if you still can hear the river.”
“Every creature has a predator.
I love you so much. I could eat you up.”
Performance piece by the dancers Marja Koponen, Maria Prokhorova and Geneva Rosett-Hafter .
The Calling (2018–2023)
An intertwined part of Villi Akka, The Calling was a series of workshops and gatherings that explored the tales, myths, and stories we grow up with, and how they shape our understanding of ourselves and others. Through collective reflection, critical reading, and artistic exercises, participants questioned inherited narratives and created their own using writing, drawing, movement, sound, and other forms of expression.
The workshops became spaces for sharing, questioning and imagining otherwise, allowing different experiences and interpretations to coexist without requiring a single shared story.
With some participants' agreement, a selection of stories created during the workshops was later made available for visitors to read during the exhibitions. In this way, the stories continued to travel beyond the gatherings in which they were first shared.
Circle (2022). Embroidery, cotton and wool.
Circle II (2024). Pigments, linseed oil, acrylic paint and varnish on recycled table.
Both works have functioned as central objects in storytelling-based workshops and sharing circles facilitated by the artist.
Below, Reading points:
The project was supported by a one-year multidisciplinary artist working grant from Arts Promotion Centre Finland (Taike) in 2020.
