In Conversation with Artist Meera Klemola
Meera Klemola is an Australian artist living in Finland. Combining Nordic influences and South Asian symbols from her ancestral heritage, her work is an homage to the many facets of her multicultural life.
“Over the past few years, I’ve had time to reflect on who I am and become proud of the facets involved, as well as intrigued by the notion of what makes a modern identity. It’s not just a nationality or a religion, a language or a birthplace, and when I consider being first-generation Australian, raised in a South Asian culture, there’s this feeling of existing between two worlds. ”
Tell us about your childhood in Australia
Being born and raised in Australia was quite wonderful. My parents were born in Malaysia and studied in the UK before emigrating to Australia together in 1984. My dad had a dream of owning a farm, so they purchased 45 acres an hour out of Melbourne, where they had cows, horses, cats, chickens, and more. It was a lovely childhood as my sister and I spent a lot of time in nature with freedom to play and grow. When I was nine years old, we moved to the city, but my parents kept the farm.
As a first-generation Australian, I was very much an Australian kid at school, with good friends and an active life. At home, this was balanced with influences from our South Asian heritage, whether it be through values, food, or spiritual beliefs. My grandparents and their parents were born in Malaysia but our ancestors are from South India, and on my mother’s side there’s heritage from Sri Lanka as well.
Interestingly, while my parents are Hindu, there weren’t any temples near our childhood home, so we were sent to Sunday School at the local church, as our parents felt that all forms of belief have something to teach us. It’s only as I get older and reflect back on certain decisions they made that I’ve started to appreciate how open-minded they are and how that has informed my own sense of curiosity and openness.
Did you visit Malaysia often? How did that impact you?
Each year we were lucky enough to visit our extended family in Malaysia for two to three months, and sometimes our parents would leave us to stay with our many aunts and cousins while they travelled.
Malaysia is a melting pot of cultures, with the three main ethnicities being Malays, Indians and Chinese, and amongst them, there are also many faiths. With this comes numerous festivities and cultural holidays, so by moving between Australia and Malaysia we learned from a young age to appreciate and respect the various perspectives of people in the world.
My parents brought this worldly spirit home with them, where they celebrated holidays with friends, such as Chinese New Year, Ramadan and Diwali/Deepavali, the Indian Festival of Lights. Living in Australia, we also celebrated Christmas of course.
How did you come to be living in Helsinki?
Love brought me to Finland. I moved away from home when I was 18 to study a law degree in Queensland and fell in love with a very nice Finnish guy, who I now call my husband. That was just over ten years ago and after working in Australia for several years, we thought it would be nice to live somewhere new. When he was offered a great opportunity in Helsinki, we decided to take the leap and moved to this side of the world in 2017 and were married the following year.
Has art always been a part of your life, or something you’ve come to recently?
Growing up, I was always surrounded by creativity and art. My mum loves making things and her home is filled with her paintings, sewing, cross-stitch, and quilts. She also has eight sisters who are all very artistic and I have fond memories of spending time with them in Malaysia when I was young. They taught me to paint with watercolours and introduced me to cultural themes, such as Hindu gods and Indian patterns like kolam. These are traditional patterns drawn on the floor that are mathematically precise, inviting balance and harmony into the space. I also learnt about tilak, a mark usually worn on the forehead, sometimes daily, or for special religious occasions.
Since moving to Finland I’ve found that people here really value having time to pursue interests outside of work, and this has influenced how I see my priorities. I started making art for our home and when friends would visit and compliment my work, it sparked confidence in me to dive deeper and explore what I want to create in a more tangible way. Now there’s much more meaning attached and I can really feel a tug in a certain visual direction, which is quite exciting.
What elements of your life experience do you explore in your art?
Over the past few years, I’ve had time to reflect on who I am and become proud of the facets involved, as well as intrigued by the notion of what makes a modern identity. It’s not just a nationality or a religion, a language or a birthplace, and when I consider being first-generation Australian, raised in a South Asian culture, there’s this feeling of existing between two worlds.
Then of course, I’ve fallen in love with a man from Finland, and Nordic culture is very different from Australian culture, even though they’re both Western. By drawing inspiration from cultures that at first glance may seem disconnected, I’m able to show that when you put them together, they can become united and joyous, reminiscent of when we first met.
To me my art represents the hidden and meaningful connections that can occur between different worlds, and I’ve found myself wanting to piece that all together, exploring this idea of belonging and the human capacity to coexist in a harmonious way.
Tell us about your creative process and the media that you use
First, I want to give an ode to the different cultures I’m bringing in, which includes the South Asian, mainly Indian, motifs as well as the Australian and Nordic influences. It's important to me that all these aspects are reflected in my work.
I’ve sourced some really nice handmade Indian cotton rag paper from South India, and within my work I’m really interested in shapes inspired by tilak. I also have some ideas percolating on how I might create some minimalist kolam-inspired works in the future.
As for colour and material, I love working with gold leaf. It adds shimmer and texture and reminds me of the women in South Asia who adorn themselves with gold jewelry. Technically, using gold leaf requires a delicate touch and patience, which doesn’t come naturally to me; but when I’m creating art I enter a mental space of complete focus, where every detail is carefully considered with intention.
I also incorporate colours such as blues inspired by the oceans of Australia and the Nordics, as we’re surrounded by water here. We are very fortunate to have a summer cabin with a beautiful view of the Baltic Sea and I love to set up there on the balcony and have my own time, looking out to the ocean as I paint.
How does creating art make you feel and what feelings do you hope to evoke in others?
When I’m working on my pieces, I notice they really spark a sense of purpose as well as draw me into a meditative state that allows me to delve into certain feelings, such as pride. I am really proud of my cultural heritage, of my Australian upbringing, of my interracial marriage; and when I’m making these pieces, I feel that.
While I want to leave room for people to have their own reaction, and place their own meaning on my art, I also hope to convey a sense of joy and harmony between different elements and cultures. I also hope each piece will inspire a sense of connection and curiosity, but because it’s a personal project, the fact that I feel proud of them is a big win too.
Where would you like to be a year from now?
I would really love to have a small exhibition in late 2021. Here, in Finland, internationalism is starting to grow, and as we start to see more cultural diversity I think people would find my work and the cultural lens quite interesting and informative.
Through Instagram I’ve also found people who have been interacting with my paintings, which has led to commission work, which I’ll continue. It’s such a privilege to create custom pieces and I work on them one at a time to give each the attention it needs. I really enjoy working with people to create something they will love, while still remaining authentic to my creative vision.
Story by Melanie Dower
Follow @meera.klemola on Instagram
