Aino Tillonen
About the Artist
Aino Tillonen (b. 2001, Helsinki) is a visual artist working primarily with painting. In her recent figurative paintings and sculptural painting objects, she explores the gaze, the boundary between the private and the public, and memory. Her works are further informed by references to art history, questions of identity, and a sense of drama borrowed from theatre. An empathetic approach to subject matter and process runs throughout her practice.
Tillonen has participated in numerous exhibitions in Finland and abroad. Her work has been shown, for example, in Amos Rex and Kunst Haus Wien. In the spring semester of 2025, she studied at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. From 2026 to 2028, Tillonen will live and work in a scholarship studio apartment awarded by the Finnish Artists’ Studio Foundation, EMMA, and the City of Espoo in Tapiola, together with visual artist Paavo Kärki.
More information
Exhibitions
Kuvan Kevät 2026
15.5.-14.6.2026
Einladung
31.10.-23.11.2025
image: petri summanen
BFA Exhibition 2024
About the artwork
The series of three paintings explores the different meanings of defense. This is done through the use of armor, a seashell, and a rope, while also contemplating the nature of shells, protection, and home.
The purpose of the ornament is to protect. Stories and history, which we carry with us, are engraved on the shield. I have armor as a souvenir from the beach.
It is difficult to move within the shelter of the seashell, but it feels homely. You cannot see inside. The rope holds everything together and supports.