Irini Arana

About the artist

Born in 1997, Irini Arana (Rauha) is a Helsinki-based sculptor with French-Basque and Finnish roots. They completed an art diploma in 2016 from the Helsinki upper secondary school of visual arts. After studying French philology, they shifted to art, earning a diploma in painting in 2019 from the Free Art School. Currently, they are in their third year of sculpture studies at the Academy of Fine Arts, with plans to continue to a Master’s program.

Exhibitions

Seat of Affection

1–17 November 2024
Tasku

BFA Exhibition 2024

13 September – 6 October 2024
Kuva/Tila and other spaces on the ground floor of the Mylly building

About the artwork

My work Bedbugs focuses on the idea of how we share our space with insects, whether we are aware of it or not. The home, which we view as a private and secure place, can hide uninvited guests like bedbugs, cockroaches, and spiders. This contrast became the foundation of my piece, where I wanted to explore the tension between the safety of home and the fear that insects provoke. The bed, which usually represents safety and peace, transforms in my work into a space where insects reside, though in a way that is less invasive than in reality. The fabric, toy-like insects that I use, along with other textile elements, represent the contradictory relationship between home and insects, but also create a sense of harmony. My intention is to make the viewer reflect on their own relationship with their home and how we share our spaces with these small creatures, as well as how we perceive the assumptions that insects represent.