BEAUTY: Photography--Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth

Interdisciplinary artists Riitta Ikonen and Karoline Hjorth collaborated on the series "Eyes As Big As Plates," originally exploring imagery and characters in Norwegian folklore. It has since morphed into a broader exploration of the psyches of not only the people and culture of Norway but Finland as well. The pair convinced mature adults to don branches, rush, rhubarb, lichen, and seaweed in an effort to embody and blend in with the Norse and Finnish landscape. The results are actually sweet and charming, speaking to a tradition of and a closeness to the land that one comes from, a sort of "bio-genetic memory" if you will.

http://riittaikonen.com/
http://karolinehjorth.wordpress.com/

BEAUTY: Photography--Mikko Lagerstedt

I previously wrote about the moody, spacious work of Finnish photographer Mikko Lagerstedt here. These images of empty snow covered expanses make me think of putting on a parka and taking a long walk. I can almost hear the snow crunch under my boots in the otherwise dampening, cotton-y silence.

http://www.mikkolagerstedt.com/

BEAUTY: Photography--Mikko Lagerstedt

Finnish photographer Mikko Lagerstedt beautifully captures what I imagine to be the mood and tone of his home country where winters are long and days are short. Cold, darkness, stars, moonlight, and mysterious figures. It feels like Romanticism from 1790...

http://www.mikkolagerstedt.com/index.html