Vibrant, warm interiors filled with assorted furniture and objects bid us welcome in Emilia Nurmivaara’s most recent body of paintings depicting fond interpretations of her childhood home in Finland. The figurative imagery of interior scenes in Nurmivaara’s paintings comes alive through her distinctive and playful use of perspective and proportion. The exhibition House of Dreams is Nurmivaara’s second solo exhibition at Gallery Poulsen. Her works follow a continuation of French philosopher Gaston Bachelard’s book “The Poetics of Space” which explores how dreams, thoughts and memories become attached to the spaces we inhabit, transforming them into powerful extensions of the soul.

“To disappear into deep water or to disappear toward a far horizon, to become part of depth of infinity, such is the destiny of man that finds its image in the destiny of water.”

Gaston Bachelard, Water and Dreams, 1942

To continue with Bachelard's reflections Nurmivaara has examined a series of Bachelard’s essays dealing with the four elements: water, fire, earth and air. As Nurmivaara delves deeper into Bachelard’s universe, she explores the symbolism and connotations of each of the elements, incorporating aspects into her comprehensive paintings. Bachelard describes water as an element that represents change, mystery and the existence of a deep internal realm. The subconscious mind explores the depths of uncharted territory, towards the unknown like a gushing stream or an endless body of water. Fire embodies both life-giving and destructive forces, representing innate psychological processes at work. Its laden symbolism can be used to represent one’s unconscious desires and fears, serving as a central element in imagination, poetry and dreams. For Bachelard, a forgotten fire is akin to childhood – it remains within us, always capable of reigniting.

Earth is connected to human will and action, relating to tangible experiences such as building, digging and shaping. It symbolizes humanity’s desire to alter the world and leave a lasting mark. Representing solidity, stability and resistance, earth is associated with the manifestations of human will, encompassing work and struggle. Bachelard illustrates how the land evokes images of resistance, challenge and endurance in our imagination, where its solidity represents the forces we confront and strive to overcome. In contrast, Bachelard poetically describes air as a breathing, flying and soaring element, evoking dreams of freedom, floating and limitlessness. He suggests that dreams floating in the air reflect a person’s profound desire to rise higher - towards spirituality and creative freedom.

In House of Dreams, Nurmivaara draws inspiration for her paintings from Bachelard’s description of the elements and their relation to dreams and the imagination. The spaces and memories Nurmivaara shares with us in her paintings remain in constant flux, continually shaped by the dynamics of both her and our inner worlds, existing somewhere between fantasy and reality. Intricate decorative patterns fill the walls and cherished memories resurface in this series of bold, engaging works. Nurmivaara invites new layers of depth to emerge with every gaze, drawing the viewer deeper into the work. The symbolism of each chosen element allows for a renewed, evolving experience, revealing different facets with each encounter.

“Through painting, I want to explore how the elements guide the operation and formation of our mental images. Through Bachelard’s essays, I have hoped to find a deeper understanding of the meaning of the elements in the landscape of our soul. In this body of work, I have chosen to combine parts of the elements with my interior paintings. I wanted to create a series of paintings in which each work is dedicated to one of the four elements: House of Water, House of Air, House of Fire and the House of Earth. This exhibition marks the beginning of my investigation of Bachelard’s considerations examining how the different elements can affect our imagination. In doing so, the familiar imagery of my childhood home becomes a transformed space, guided by the viewer’s imagination.”

Emilia Nurmivaara, 2024

Emilia Nurmivaara, born in 1992 in Vantaa, Finland, currently lives and works in Kokkola. Over the past three years, her works have been placed in both national and international collections around the world, including the Gothenburg Museum of Art. She earned her BFA from Yrkesho¨gskolan Novia in Pietarsaari, Finland, in 2021 and has been exhibiting with Gallery Poulsen since then, participating in numerous group shows and art fairs. In 2022, she made her solo debut at Gallery Poulsen with the exhibition The Poetics of Space. Nurmivaara will be present at the opening of her exhibition House of Dreams on Saturday, October 26th, 12.00-16.00, where she will be holding an artist talk at 13.00.

The exhibition presents 11 new oil paintings.