Mia Mäkelä
Finland
Artist-in-residence November–December 2025
Program during the residency
CO-PORTRAIT workshop
UTOPIAKLUBI – Sopukka, Aleksanterinkatu 10, Loviisa
13.11.2025 17.00
The workshop explored portrait-making from a multispecies perspective, placing humans alongside other forms of life. Through artistic practice, participants reflected on identity as part of a network of plants, animals, fungi, and ecosystems.
The aim was to foster empathy, respect, and an understanding of interdependence. The workshop brought together a gratifyingly diverse group of participants of different ages, ranging from retirees to young adults.
I began by presenting my own artistic work related to multispecies themes and introducing the conceptual framework of the workshop. After some initial hesitation, participants became deeply engaged, and the space filled with intense and experimental activity using an overhead projector and a pocket projector.
The results were unexpectedly strong and even magical. Some participants completed several different Co-portraits. The overall feeling was that the workshop could easily have continued for a longer period.
The finished works are planned to be exhibited at the Kucku Gallery, possibly in connection with the Kucku Festival in September 2026.
Art Afterwork
Kafferosteri, Aleksanterinkatu 8, Loviisa
21.11.2025 17.00
Art Afterwork is a warm and relaxed Artist Talk–style event where you can listen to Art in Lov’s residency artists or local artists talk about their work.
After the presentations, there is an opportunity to stay and talk with the artists.
Open Studio at Art in Lov Residence during Alexandersgården’s Christmas event
Aleksanterin Piha, Aleksanterinkatu 8, Loviisa
22.11.2025 12.00
Approximately twenty visitors came to the studio, some of whom showed genuine interest in
contemporary art. My video works were screened in the space, and I also facilitated a drop-in Kanssakuva
workshop using an overhead projector.
Multispecies Design workshops
Swedish-speaking lower secondary school
in Loviisa
November 2025
I approached multispecies thinking through different scales, starting with the human body and expanding outward to the home, the yard, the city, and ultimately the global ecosystem. I also presented examples of existing multispecies structures, such as bat bridges. Students were free to choose the species for which they designed a solution.
While the task was challenging for some, most students grasped the concept. A number of them developed original ideas, such as a food labyrinth for a cat or a cat swing, while many focused on improving the living conditions of their own pets.
The core aim of the workshop was to plant a seed for multispecies ways of thinking and living.
Workshops for senior residents
Esplanadi, Kuningattarenkatu 7, Loviisa
December 2025
Over five days, participants engaged in The Pine Tree of My Life drawing exercise, a Multispecies Design task, and the CO-PORTRAIT exercise.
On the final day, we organized a nature-themed video screening, accompanied by discussion and popcorn. Our goal was to lower the threshold for participation, as many residents had physical limitations that prevented them from drawing or engaging in hands-on activities. Nevertheless, there was a strong desire for conversation and shared reflection.
The stories shared by participants were exceptionally compelling, and I continued to listen to them through interviews and informal discussions, some of which I recorded.
About the artist
Mia Mäkelä
Mia Mäkelä is a Finnish research-based media artist and cultural historian exploring the intersections of art, technology, science, and ecology.
Driven by a deep need to understand the non-human world, she integrates expert knowledge and empirical research into her art, which has led her to take on roles like algae gatherer, zookeeper, bird watcher and beekeeper.
Currently she works with video, installations and expeditions. Mäkelä, internationally acknowledged pioneer in the field of live cinema, has shown her work and lectured worldwide.
