Milja Ahola:
Blue herbarium

In a herbarium, living things are separated from the conditions of life, classified, dried, and flattened in a press. Animation breathes life into the lifeless, the immobile into movement.     

In the works in the exhibition Blue Herbarium, graphic artist Milja Ahola gives plants a new kind of life using methods of fine art graphics. Using paper that has passed through a gravure press—emphasizing the three-dimensionality of the image—she awakens viewers to see plants with new eyes and different perspectives.   

Milja Ahola is a Helsinki-based graphic artist, animation director, MA, and a member of the Helsinki Artists' Association. She combines various graphic techniques without prejudice. She has been creating graphics since 1991.   

Photo: Milja Ahola, Blue Herbarium, etching + photopolymer engraving, size 17x13 cm, 2023