DOWNTIME w/ Niko Vartiainen

1) LOCATION?

I’m living and working Turku, Finland 🇫🇮

2) YEARS COLLAGING?

I started to do collages back in 2006-2007.

3) WHAT DO YOU LOVE AND HATE ABOUT COLLAGE?

I love the hunt for the materials, which happens to be also the thing I hate. It’s nerve-racking if I can’t finish a piece because I can’t find the right kind of piece. I have usually 5-10 starters/artworks going on because I don’t want to finish them by just settling on some piece.

It’s so thrilling feeling when I find what I need, but usually, I find the pieces by coming across them while I was looking for something else :D

4) BIGGEST INFLUENCES?

When I started Eduardo Recife, {THS}, Plastic Kid were my biggest influences but I feel like nowadays I’m so deep in the collage that I can’t name any specific influences. I constantly see amazing collages that blow my mind and there're artists who I love, but I can’t say that I’m inspired by them like I might have used to be. I have my own thing going on and I try to keep my focus straight.

5) ANALOG VS DIGITAL?

I definitely prefer analog collages as an art form. But every now and then I take short trips to the digital side, mainly when I’m doing collages for illustration purposes. Analog is the thing for me, even though the works are so much easier to do by computer. I want to see and feel the textures, stains, smudges, torn edges, all the physical aspects of the artwork. I want to cut and layer up the papers by hand. The possibility/probability of human error makes the work what they are.

6) HOW DO YOU SPEND YOUR DOWNTIME?

My two kids keep me busy.

7) THREE TIPS FOR SOMEONE STARTING OUT IN COLLAGE?

Be curious: try different things, materials, technics, etc until you find the best tools and ways to create for you.
Be brave: you learn quickest when you are accepting the fact that errors and mistakes are the best lessons. Yeah, you might ruin some works on the run but trust me, you don’t make the same error too many times.
Be yourself: It's ok to try to create similar works that you have seen on IG or wherever. AT THE BEGINNING. When I started collaging, I didn't have a clue where or how to start so I started to mimic the artists/artworks I admired. Then, slowly when I gained more experience and got more knowledge about everything, I started to push myself towards my own direction.
Copycats are the biggest pussies.

8) UP AND COMING SHOWS OR PROJECTS WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT?

I just launched a label, Sutta Press (@suttapress). It's my channel for releasing collage-related zines and stuff.

And my collage zine Cults of Life is going to release a celebrational tenth issue this summer.

See more 👀
Web: nikovartiainen.com
Instagram: @_nikovartiainen