Artist profile:

Maria Matinmikko (b. 1983 Oulu, Finland) is a Helsinki-based writer. Her genre lies in the between of poetry and prose. She considers her work as an examination beyond the usual concepts of comparative literature in the sense of combining elements from the traditions of poetry, prose-poems, shorts stories and even novels and aphorisms forming surprising but very carefully considered aesthetics. She creates textual fragments that are often based on either observations or imagination or both. The situations, characters, abstract verses, landscapes, fleeting moments may appear in absurd, surrealistic or hyperrealistic style carrying sociological, cultural, economical and political awareness.

Matinmikko has just recently (February 2017) completed the her trilogy comprising books Valkoinen (White, 2012), Musta (Black, 2013) and Värit (Colors). Valkoinen won the prize of best collection of poetry given by Finnish Broadcasting Company. It was the first time a debut was recognized in this competition. Musta also received laudatory reviews.

Matinmikko is Master of Philosophy having aesthetics as her main subject. She has studied writing in several schools in Finland.
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Summary of residence plan:

During the stay in Tokyo Matinmikko will work on two projects. First of all she will work on her fourth book called Kolkka (Corner). At the beginning of the book the main character arrives to a land that does not exist. The book examines among other things the cultural-related ideas about right and wrong, pure and impure by distancing the places to an imaginative land. Matinmikko's writings hold a great understanding about the bodily existence; everything that happens to a person, happens also the person's body and the body is always located in a physical environment. The book challenges the reader by mixing (world)views, consequences and affections. The other project is a collaboration with a Finnish writer and researcher Markku Eskelinen. They call their project ”a time-fiction”. It will be realized in virtual form being part of post-Oulipo anthology written by a group of Finnish writers. The anthology will be published at the spring 2018.

Date	2017.04.01 - 2017.04.30
Place	Residence 3
Website	https://mariamatinmikko.com/