About the art

Combining still-life photography with digital painting, Finnish artist Minni Mäkinen creates multilayered abstract compositions that explore themes of transition, time, and identity. Using her still-life photographs as digital paint, Mäkinen constructs dynamic pieces that capture movement and distortion, reflecting on the moments between moments and the interplay between the past and its influence on both individual and collective identities.

In her recent work, Mäkinen expands her practice by experimenting with light, color, and her camera to produce meditative pieces. These works invite viewers to pause and contemplate the concept of time within today’s rapidly evolving physical and digital landscapes. Through her art, Mäkinen bridges the tangible and abstract, offering moments of reflection in a world that rarely remembers to slow down.

Expanding Horizons, 2024, is a visual exploration and reflection on the moments when we recognize our own personal growth. Beyond themes of self-development and maturity, the expansive framing of the images mirrors the experience of embracing new perspectives and finding peace in the desire to explore the world as well as welcoming new life experiences. Mäkinen’s distinctive work, known for its ambiguous, abstracted still-life floral photography, serves as a metaphor for the powerful memories, events, people, and places that shape our identities and contribute to our evolution.

Works: Paradise, Dream, Infinity

Translated Landscapes, 2023-2024, is a combination of both, a personal reflection on multicultural upbringing and a focus on the energy set in different countries and places. The project embodies the process of learning a new language and process of adjusting to new sceneries. Moreover, the ambiguous forms shine light on how visual references, such as art compensates for language barriers, when ones mother tongue isn’t enough to be understood. What could be described as muted moments, offers time to closely observe and feel the energy in new places. The high level of distortion to floral still life photography reflects on both the complexity of translated communication as well as the beauty and energy surrounding various places.   

Works: St. Tropez Energy, Geisha In Mt. Fuji, Gates To Provence, Milanese Jungle, Somewhere In Brazil, Mediterranean Waves

The Divine, chapter IV of Bloom series, reflects on universal, divine feminine energy, pushing the terms definition into stronger accuracy. The still life floral photographs edited in numerous layers, reflects how complex ones feminine side truly is as well as how differently we all approach it. Furthermore, the series touches upon the weight it carries in ones soul and how it can lead to uncomfortable places in order for us to flourish and grow. The series is not only intended to continuously evolve, but also to document how the young artist navigates her way as a woman into a successful career.

2023 Muse Photography Awards, Bloom IV. in silver place: Fine art & Photo manipulation

Works: Divinity, She, Cycle, Nurture, Intuition