THE ARTIST OF THE MONTH IN NOVEMBER PETRI HILDÉN
Petri Hildén (born in Helsinki in 1981) lives and works in Seinäjoki, Finland. He is a self-taught artist and a member of the Seinäjoki Artists’ Association, the Lapua Artists’ Association, and the Ostrobothnian Artists’ Association.
Since 2005, Hildén has participated in exhibitions in Finland and abroad. In Finland, his works have been exhibited at venues including the Museum of Contemporary Art in Vaasa, in the exhibition KONTAKTI — Muistoja maisemista (CONTACT — Memories of Landscapes). Highlights of his international exhibitions include Premio Città di Montecosaro in Italy and the third Biennale Internazionale di Pescara. His works are also held in private and institutional collections around the world.
Hildén has also taken part in numerous international art symposiums and artist residencies in countries including India, Tunisia, Poland, Montenegro, Turkey, Spain, and Romania. These international encounters have played an important role in his artistic development, deepening his engagement with intercultural dialogue and the intuitive creative process.
Hildén’s practice focuses on intuitive expressionism and the exploration of human consciousness. The acrylic painting presented here is titled Speculum (Mirror). In creating the work, the artist sought to trust his intuition and let it guide the process — to simply go with it.