“NEW! “Anthem”

“Anthem” by Mia Makila, 2020, archival ultrachrome print. Available.

Finally! I have been working on this piece on-and-off for over 4 months and now it’s all done. This is the story of self-empowerment and it includes a collaboration with my amazingly talented friend Candice Angelini. I used and manipulated a few of her coolest head pieces (Coiffe Shamanic Bird and Post Mortem II) and pieces from her creepy Zombie mask (see last picture for some of the original pieces I used in the collage).

NEW! “Red Story nr. 3”

“Red Story nr. 3” by Mia Makila, 2019. Digital collage. Edition of 5. Available.

DETAILS:
This is the third piece of my “Red Story” suite – a visual series about the traumas I am slowly overcoming. Instead of my usual perspective of examining the emotions of the survivor/victim (me), I am focusing on the crazy actions and bizarre behavior of the abusers. In the third story piece I am exploring the strange behavior of one of my ex boyfriends. Our relationship was based on a power imbalance. I lived in his house, he was a ‘master’ – dominant, in control, better, stronger, smarter – whilst I was made into a submissive ‘lolita’, a living doll, an object, weaker, dependent and isolated. This imbalance had many dimensions – it was economical, material, physical, emotional, psychological and sexual.
 
During our first year of living together in his house, he had a bizarre ritual of unzipping his pants right after he had served me dinner, then he would take out his (soft) dick and place it on the dining table and would just be standing like that for a while – so proud of himself and his ‘thing’. This usually happened when the family across the street (a mom, dad and two teenage boys) also were having their dinner and could see him standing like that, through their window. I would do what all good girls are supposed to do in situations where men make us uncomfortable – I would giggle.
 
But after I was out of this toxic relationship, I started to question this absurd routine. What was he trying to tell me – with his dick on the table, next to the food I was about to enjoy? What did he demonstrate? Was it an act of intimidation, a power demonstration, psychological abuse or perhaps an expression of a sexual fetish (with the eyes of our neighbor family as an important factor)?

NEW! “The Lolita Express”

“The Lolita Express” by Mia Makila, 2019. New media collage. Limited edition. Available.

I’ve never put so much work into a digital piece before, been working around the clock with this one. It was fun to do but the story behind it is awful and disturbing – about the private jet plane “Lolita Express” – owned by Jeffrey Epstein. What a horrible concept and I feel so much compassion and sadness for those poor girls. My heart is reaching out to them through this intense piece. I hope you like it and fins your own stories in it as well.

New work! “My Prerogative”

“My Prerogative” by Mia Makila, 2019. Acrylic and color pencils on canvas, 60×60 cm. Click to enlarge.

I dedicate this painting to all women and girls in Alabama, USA. The only person entitled to make a decision about their body is the owner of the body. Especially when it comes to such a profound decision of creating a life or choosing not to.. Women are like God that way (if you believe in one, I don’t) and you don’t interfere with God’s plan. The red cross in her back symbolizes delusional religious people and conservatives – who believe they are entitled to judge, force, exclude, punish, hate and make decisions for other people (in this case women). I was abused by a man of faith and during the attacks of physical and psychological abuse he used to shout: “I must beat the devil out of you! You have the devil inside you and he makes you into a whore!”

I will never stop fighting for women’s right to their bodies, sexuality, expression and independence.