Irini Arana
About the artist
Born in Finland in 1997, sculptor Irini (Rauha) Arana lives and works in Helsinki and has a half Northern Basque background. Their practice is grounded in play – play with language, materials, and process. Materials guide both their making and interpretation, and they are drawn to the constraints and possibilities the materials introduce. Animals and other figurative presences appear in their works as ways of exploring emotional expression.
Exhibitions
Inventarium
16.1.-8.2.2026
Einladung
31.10.-23.11.2025
Seat of Affection
1–17 November 2024
Tasku
BFA Exhibition 2024
13 September – 6 October 2024
Kuva/Tila and other spaces on the ground floor of the Mylly building
About the artwork
My work Bedbugs focuses on the idea of how we share our space with insects, whether we are aware of it or not. The home, which we view as a private and secure place, can hide uninvited guests like bedbugs, cockroaches, and spiders. This contrast became the foundation of my piece, where I wanted to explore the tension between the safety of home and the fear that insects provoke. The bed, which usually represents safety and peace, transforms in my work into a space where insects reside, though in a way that is less invasive than in reality. The fabric, toy-like insects that I use, along with other textile elements, represent the contradictory relationship between home and insects, but also create a sense of harmony. My intention is to make the viewer reflect on their own relationship with their home and how we share our spaces with these small creatures, as well as how we perceive the assumptions that insects represent.