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Detail from Elga Sesemann’s work Self-Portrait with Yellow Pot, 1943. Photo: HAM/Hanna Kukorelli
Camilla Mihkelsoo selected as the recipient of the Aïda Alliman Grant
The 2022 Aïda Alliman Grant has been awarded to painter Camilla Mihkelsoo.
Mihkelsoo (b. 1978), who works in Sicily, Italy, graduated from the Free Art School in 2014.
“I paint figurative oil paintings based on found photographs, my own image archive, and everyday things I experience and live through,” she explains. Mihkelsoo mainly works in oil, painting on both canvas and paper, often developing several works at the same time.
“When I paint, I try to bring out new layers from the images and develop them further. These may be psychological, personal, or painterly elements that form a multi-layered tapestry.”
Since graduating from the Free Art School, Mihkelsoo continued her studies and earned a Master of Fine Arts from the Academy of Fine Arts of the University of the Arts Helsinki in 2020. She is currently working on new pieces for her upcoming solo exhibition opening in Berlin at the end of summer.
“The grant makes it possible for me to focus fully on my artistic work and the organisation of future exhibitions. I am deeply grateful to the Vermeeriana Foundation for supporting my practice,” Mihkelsoo says.
More about the artist:
Camilla Mihkelsoo on Instagram
The Vermeeriana Foundation annually awards the Aïda Alliman Grant to an artist aged 30–50 who has graduated from the Free Art School. The grant totals 20,000 Swiss francs, approximately 19,000 euros. It can be used for artistic work, exhibition production, or to cover personal living costs.
Previous recipients include Inkeri Halme (2021), Enoch Bergsten (2020), Pauli Tapola (2019), Verna Joki (2018), Susanna Vuorio (2017), and Aino Salmi (2016).