Satu and Maima Tani are sisters who have been making art together since 2018. Satu Tani (b. 1984) is a visual artist (YAMK) who has worked with outsider art in a variety of ways as an art director, curator and mentor. Maima Tani (b. 1986) is an outsider artist and makes art in the Autism Foundation’s Valilla art studio and at her own studio which she shares with her sister Satu. Maima specializes in imaginative handcrafts ranging in size from tiny miniatures to multimeter crocheted jellyfish.
At the festival we’ll see Satu and Maima Tani’s film Breathing Reef, which explores the themes of rebirth and ecological cycles through the story of a coral reef that dances by the sea. The film’s visual world is dominated by Maima Tani’s colorful and intricate handcrafted costumes. The film is part of the multi-year artistic project Breathing Reef (2019-), a continuation of the Tanis’ childhood games. The work has previously been shown at Art Brut Biënnale in the Netherlands. In addition to Satu and Maima Tani, the team of the film includes Milja Tani, Santtu Suvitaival, Heidi Järvinen, Oliver Tani and Petteri Vehmanen.
Curators’ comments: “A funny, colourful and thought-provoking film! Breathing Reef touches you with its simple but powerful storytelling. Just like its title, the film breathes and lives in every scene. The costume design is a mind-blowing celebration of colour and texture, and the Finnish beach is a touching setting as the climate crisis rages beneath the surface. A hopeful and playful interpretation of the crisis that threatens us all.”
