Silja Uuttula
Fruits of Foreign Fields
10.10.-3.11.2024
I wonder why some places call me like a siren. When I was a child, we would go for drives through villages, occasionally ending up on the outskirts of a city. The main point was to look at the houses and dream. Through the car window, as the landscapes flashed by, I dreamed of unattainable houses and a different life. Now, as an adult, time and time again I find myself in the Estonian rural archipelago. The archipelago has always fascinated me, even though I have never particularly liked the sea as an element. I have always enjoyed being alone, but during these trips I have an especially strong need to be by myself. I drive on narrow paths despite my car almost falling apart, I explore old boatsheds, shores, barely perceptible meadows, graveyards and buildings where I may trip over secrets lying in the yards. I do not really have a need to know anything about these places. The information I seek is in what I see.
When not exploring various places, I have dreams, almost painfully symbolic dreams of houses and rooms that I did not know existed, as I had not realized that I could go anywhere. One night I get scared after realizing that I have been living with the dead for weeks. On another night, kittens infested with parasites climb in through the open window. These appealing places that sometimes feel unsafe draw me into a space where my subconscious starts to work and the artistic process kicks off.
My exhibition features paintings that I have created as a result of exploring these places and the subsequent processing. Whether my painting focuses on a place or a figure, I always try to find a form and color that supports the atmosphere. Sometimes everything happens quickly and feels easy. Other times, finding the right energy in a painting takes more time and effort and requires me to overcome my own fears. I believe that the purpose of appealing places – whether pleasant or unpleasant – is to force one to confront something that is meaningful and important to them at that moment.
Silja Uuttula (b. 1988, Savitaipale) is a painter who graduated from the Free Art School in 2022. She mainly works with oil painting and drawing. Fruits of Foreign Fields is her fifth solo exhibition.
Contact details
silja.uuttula (a) gmail.com
https://siljauuttula.wixsite.com/silja
instagram: @tuuliansilja
