‘Green Space - A Portrait of Sonja Vahasaari’ by Sam Rapp-Jones
This piece, “Green Space — A Portrait of Sonja Vahasaari,” was written by Sam Rapp-Jones after attending my art & surf exhibition. I’m grateful for his beautiful words and reflections on my work, my connection to nature, and the way art can open a dialogue between people and the environment. Hearing words like Sam’s feels important — they offer new perspectives on my journey as an artist in Australia, and on what Green Space meant as an exhibition.
“Green Space” Art Exhibition by Sonja Katariina Vahasaari. Written by Sam Rapp-Jones.
My first encounter with the infectious energy of Sonja Vahasaari was post Byron Bay Surf Festival last year after she made connections with the Mid-North Coasts long boarding crew at the event. She decided to make a trip down from her base in Byron to experience the coastline they were all talking about. She was swiftly welcomed on arrival and soon became a regular face around the local haunts. Needless to say, it wasn't long before the Finnish frother was a permanent presence in the beautiful land that she had become so curious about. It seemed only natural to shift her life south as it felt as she was always meant to be a part of the surfing community in the the Mid North Coast region.
Fast forward to August 2023, just shy of a year since first tasting the idyllic coastal townships, she has solidified her presence by staging an Art and Surfing exhibition at The Station Boardstore. The beloved shrine of surf culture would play host to Sonja’s creative work. “It was the perfect space to hold my exhibition in, there’s something really nostalgic and pure about the place”.
Green Space is a mental health project Sonja’s been working on for the last year. “It’s an expression of my mind and a celebration of the incredibly positive impact that surfing and art can have on mental health”.
Green Space features a collection of paintings and posters interwoven with poetry in unison with two short films. The body of work is a reflection of Sonja’s passion for creative pursuit and surfing.
Sonja’s surfing, much like her art, is another form of self-expression, a way to share herself with the world. Sonja’s distinctive style on a board possesses a classical, timeless refinement co-existing with an effortless flow. There is a certain elegance to the complexity of her movements, so much so that you almost miss the magnitude of her skill. Sonja’s repertoire of masterful patience, poise and a sprinkling of flaring inflections leaves those witness to it in a state of visual bliss. Always followed by an unmistakable smile on the way back out reminding all around what it's all about. In the water, she is always exactly where she needs to be. Perpetually taking in the world around her, she is heavily influenced by the people and environments she surrounds herself with. “I'm constantly inspired by the ocean and nature, it's different every day. My surfing is reflective of the moods I’m in, some days I want to cruise and some days I get really psyched to throw down”.
Being able to traverse between silky trim, serious drop-knee cutbacks prowess on the nose is attest to her ability to hone crafts both in the water and on canvas. “A big accomplishment for me has been cultivating an in-depth knowledge of the ocean. Growing up in Finland it wasn't something that was around me when I was younger, I had to seek it out for myself through the lens of surfing. It has done wonders for me and my mind. Surfing has taught me patience, gratitude to the world I’m living in, joy, love for the ocean, community, myself and the Earth. Surfing is another outlet for the realisation of beauty that we are surrounded by”.
Sonja’s journey as a creative has been one that has dictated her path in life. It hasn’t always been clear or straight but all the right paths never are. It has however been one she knew would bring the most fulfilment. Being a working creative can be a volatile existence. Balancing making a living from creative endeavours whilst studying a Bachelor Degree in Design has been at times overwhelming for her. As a result, she has been pushed to seek out the things in life that bring her the most joy. The journey to develop this mindset to balance out the unavoidable stress is explored in her art exhibition “Green Space”. ”My art has always ebbed and flowed with my personal growth and development. Recently the art hasn't had a thought process, I build the pieces as I go, it's very therapeutic. The less thought I put into it, the more joy I get out of it”.
Sonja’s experimentation with painting styles over the years has allowed her to be able to call on a range of skills as well as be able to discern the types of work that feel most true to her. “When I was younger my painting was predominantly hyperrealism. My mind felt relaxed when I was focusing on the little details to make my pieces as realistic as possible, but that style of painting never really resonated with me. I felt like I could not express what was inside of me. I was in art school for ten years in Finland, and when I left, I held a small art exhibition to exhibit my hyperrealistic piece that I worked on for a year. Since then I've focused more on abstract pieces and the use of colour to convey emotion, allowing myself to do what feels natural and authentic for me. It’s much more rewarding. I have tapped back into some hyperrealism lately with my “Hungry World” piece. It felt good to work with fine detail again, it's different when it comes from my mind and not from a reference photo. It’s a crossover of my new and old styles. I’ve been in a painting phase lately. For me, it's a portal to enter into my most balanced state of being. I've had a lot going on this last year, especially with it being the final year of my degree, I've really been craving that balanced flow state”.
Sonja’s focus on emphasising the elements of life that relieve mental blockages and stress in combination with her “less I try, less I think, the better it feels” mindset are at the forefront of the exhibition and in particular her short films The Present and The Joy.
Green Space was Sonja’s first bigger scale exhibition. It’s been a major goal in her creative career, to have it all come together in such a beautiful fashion with the support of the community she has built for herself. It was a monumental achievement for her and will no doubt be a memorable milestone to reflect on throughout her career. Doing it for an important cause with all proceeds going towards Head Space.
“It just happened so naturally with the help of all the special people in this community. I don’t think I’ve been that happy in a long time. Each piece had its own importance to me at particular times, but the whole thing is more of an overarching expression”
Being inspired to work more with film as a medium and edit, she has created a duet of short films.
“The Present is a visual portrayal of all the little things in life that make you happy and calm. Moving to the Mid-North Coast and surrounding myself with the humans here has taught me to slow down and work myself out of the burnout cycle I was slipping into. I found myself really driven to film more nature. I ended up getting these insane microscopic moments and started appreciating the little things in life again and that's how The Present was born”.
Following The Present and the magical state it had left the crowd in we were thrown into The Joy. The Joy is an ode to surfing, culture, friends and community. Featuring Sonja and some of the local crew absolutely tearing, the film brings to the forefront what it is that ties us all together. Why we choose to live lives in communion with the sea and the alluring essence of the accompanying lifestyle. “People become more like themselves here. Who I am now is because of the community, and that's something to be celebrated”
The opening night was a vibrant gathering of old and new friends alike, happy reunions, a healthy amount of mischief and mandatory post-screening boogies. All whilst being surrounded by the physical manifestations of Sonja’s beautiful creative mind. The feelings and emotions she set out to display were felt by all those present.
The intersection of Sonja’s surfing and art is all in subtle detail. “The state surfing brings me in allows me to exist as my best creative self. I don't necessarily paint surf-specific subjects, but more so an emotion or inspiration that I am filled with before or after being in the water. The exhibition heavily features my poetry in symbiosis with my painting. I’d say the written word element comes to me in those quiet contemplative moments in the surf. The textures I work with are inspired from the ocean and the micro moments I observe when I am surfing, it’s definitely one of my primary influences. Being a surfer helps a lot when filming too. I try to capture moments that I find the most beautiful when I am surfing and share the feeling I experience in the water through my editing. I never know exactly what I’m about to capture and that is the most exciting part of filming. Being able to do so many things within the creative field at this point in my career is a major asset, each discipline feeds into another. I like being that way. I’m always looking for new ways to keep my mind happy and learn new ways to create”
Sonja will graduate with her Bachelor of Design in August, an exciting time for her with the promise of some more freedom of time after an intense year of big changes and hard work. “I really wanna take it slow after I finish university. I always seem to have a thousand things on my plate so I'm looking forward to being able to pick and choose the projects I take on and focus on creativity and surfing. I'm fizzing to be able to just chill, paint and surf, to not be constantly thinking about deadlines. It's beautiful to be able to zoom out and realise I’ve built a lifestyle that had always been a dream for me, and now I’m living it. All in all, I'm super grateful and happy with how things are going on the old floating rock”
Sonja’s graceful expertise in the water and incredible creative ability have left a unique mark on the people and communities in her orbit. She’s an all-around legend human to learn from and be inspired by.
A special thanks to J.J. and the Station Boardstore for hosting the event, Roger “Fergo” Ferguson for lending the expertise and vision to help make “Green Space” a reality and everyone that made it to the exhibition.
Words by Sam Rapp-Jones, Aug 2023