Pauliina Waris :
We are not birds (three variations of the leaving ones)

Pauliina Waris’s exhibition We are not birds (three variations of the leaving ones) at HAA Gallery brings together large-scale and smaller oil paintings in which translucent, layered brushstrokes create a subtle sense of depth. The detailed surfaces invite the viewer into movement: at times closer, almost entering the image, at times stepping back to grasp the work as a whole. 

Waris approaches landscape as a space of mind and memory. The works do not depict unambiguous places; rather, they unfold as reflections on an undefined absence — on something that has once been present but is no longer. In addition to absence, Waris has been interested in the intertwined nature of departure and arrival. Leaving does not signify mere disappearance, but also transition and transformation. 

Pauliina Waris is a Helsinki-based visual artist working in painting. She graduated with a Master of Fine Arts from Academy of Fine Arts, University of the Arts Helsinki in 2023, and previously completed her studies as a painter at Free Art School in 2018. 

Waris’s work is supported by the Finnish Cultural Foundation. 

Notice! Opening hours: Tuesday–Thursday 12–18, Friday–Sunday 12–16