Sara Orava: Rite
Text by Katja Kallio

Words that come to mind when viewing Sara Orava’s Riitti paintings:
Porcelain. Ice. Chalice. Embryo. Rose. Glass. Cartilage. Flesh. Scar. Membrane. Tendon. Stone. Meringue. Bone. Fold. Patella. Vessel.

All the paintings in Riitti exist on a delicate threshold. The inside and outside dissolve into one another. They are felt deep within the body—in the viscera, in the hidden chambers of the flesh.

A question arises: what is the body, and what is the mind? Are they separate, and if so, where is the boundary between them?

The paintings in Riitti resemble images from a dream, in that both build a bridge between body and mind. Dreams, too, are born of physiology and reflect the soul.
When you step into this realm, take off your shoes—you are walking on sacred ground.

SARA ORAVA Riitti 30.5.-29.6.2025 Galleria Ama Rikhardinkatu 1 Helsinki gallery@ama.gallery

 Whatever it is that I’m painting, that something is at once fascinating and intimidating. It hurts and it caresses, it changes its shape and it expresses itself in different things and different people. At times, it is lucidly manifest in a painting.

Saraorava.net presents artwork of Sara Orava, a visual artist from Helsinki. She works in the field of painting, drawing and stage art. Her works are characterized by strong layering that tempera technique enables, physicality and references to art history.