Taika Mannila is a Helsinkian Artist, DJ, Illustrator and a member of the popular D.R.E.A.M.G.I.R.L.S. collective whose second private exhibition WHAT A GIRL FEELZ opens on 18th October at Tiketti Galleria. In her works Mannila addresses girlhood, witchcraft, Instagram-reality, overwhelming emotional loads, end of the world atmospheres as well as the meaning of the colour pink to the world. At the end of the year an installation art piece Baby Pink Space opens within the exhibition.
Since 2015 Mannila has been sharing her emotions, thoughts and ideas to Instagram under the #whatagirlfeelz -tag. In the exhibition seen at Tiketti Galleria she explores how an emotion-project born within Instagram transfers from the internet to the walls of a gallery. The works in the exhibition are made with mixed technique, mostly by coloured pencils, which Mannila describes as a suitably meditative and manic technique. Mannila’s expression unites more broadly with e.g. the Sad Girl -phenomena as well as rise of Instagram-art as part of the modern culture of photographic art.
’’I would not be an Artist without Instagram. It took a long time until I realised what #whatagirlfeelz meant to me. After a few years I understood that it was in fact a depression-diary and sort of an art project. My emotional outbursts were liked, they were shared, and it felt surprisingly good and addictive as well as encouraging, so much so that I was posting even more. If lots of likes were received, the original reason for the post, i.e. a distressing feeling, didn’t feel quite so shameful any longer.’’ Mannila unwraps the backgrounds of the project. The exhibition itself naturally includes different ways of sharing, liking and reacting to the artworks. Would the exhibition otherwise even exist?
Before the turn of the year Mannila’s and Interior Architect Fanni Suvila’s Pink Space -art collective’s pop up installation art piece Baby Pink Space opens up within the exhibition. This multidisciplinary, memorable installation has already been seen in its different forms at Flow Festival and at Restaurant Jackie. In conjunction with the exhibition we will be hearing interesting guests and through these conversations the themes of e.g. Instagram, girlhood and emotions will be seized more extensively.
At the end of the year What A Girl Feelz will be extended as part of Culture Factory Korjaamo’s gallery. The details of the pop ups and forums will be announced on Tiketti Galleria’s social media channels later.
Taika Mannila’s (b. 1988) artworks have been seen before as part of Sideways Festival art program, at White Hall, as well as in Basso Radio’s pop up ONLY GIRL IN THE WORLD 365 private exhibition, for which Mannila drew an image of Rihanna every day of the year. Mannila’s recognisable illustrative style has been seen on Image and Elle magazines, and she has been heard in podcasts on Radio Helsinki and Basso Radio frequencies. Within the music and art industries she works actively for equality and to bring forth marginal voices. Mannila is also known for the Rap- and R’n’B Dream-DJ duo, and a radio program carrying the same name, that she formed together with Lina Schiffer. Mannila and Schiffer’s D.R.E.A.M.G.I.R.L.S rap assembly’s, that the pair put together in 2018, praised performances have been seen e.g. at sold-out Tavastia and at Helsinki Festival Huvilateltta.
