Secrets of Russia

When we looked at the world map one day (map is our favourite painting to stare), we suddenly realised that there is only one country in between Aamu’s Korea and Johan’s Finland.

It was RUSSIA.

Very big country that we knew almost nothing about. Instead of new tourism books or politics, we started to read a travel book by ¨Russia¨ of Nikos Kazantzakis’s impressions from his two journeys to Russia (the Soviet Union) in 1925 and 1927.

In year 2010, we gave a mission to Hanna Whitehead (our legendary intern from Iceland) to find out secrets of Russia. With her lists and maps on hands we headed on a journey with night train full of excitement and fear (this was December 2010, very cold winter). Even we were still in Helsinki, the view of Pasila station platform already looked like Russia with many layers of curtains in our train window. From this train journey until today in December 2021, we have been traveling Russia more than 300 days all together. We can now read and speak Russian little bit after hard studies in Kallio language school in Helsinki. We do have dear Russian friends and idols who create folk art and objects, and we became fans of Russian Orthodox church.

Secrets of Russia is on going.

From year 2022, We can not visit our lovely masters.
We pray for end of the war.

From the collection

Find more secrets →