Bio & CV
Lives and works in Merimasku, the archipelago of South-Western Finland.
Niina Suominen works as visual artist, producing media art / experimental animation short films. She is impressed by the works of pioneering
masters of experimental animation from 1920's to 1950's.
Suominen was educated in the traditional techniques of animation making. In her work she is fascinated with reflecting on traditional rules of animation
and figuring out ways to break or subvert them.
The basis of Suominen's work is a theme, a topic or
some aesthetically interesting detail. Improvisation, movement and rhythm are
important constituents of her works.
For twenty years Suominen has explored trash, waste, the thrown away and the left behind. The visual world of her works is constructed upon the qualities of these materials, her observations about them and experimenting with their possibilities. She is interested in abandoned surroundings, found objects and human reality.
Suominen is a member of AV-arkki - The Centre for Finnish Media Art, Artists' Association MUU and Photographic Centre Peri.
Suominen's works are distributed by AV-arkki.
Education in arts
2004 BA/Turku University of Applied Sciences, The Academy of Arts.Works
Diabolus ex Machina (2024)
Golden Headacher (2022)
What Time is? (2020)
Breaking Up Is Hard To Do (2015)
In Memoriam (2013)
A Finnish Fable 2011 (2011)
A Wondrous Dark Forest (2011)
Dark Creatures (2011)
I Call Myself Sane (2010)
Good Stuff (2009)
English Lessons, College (2008)
Comeuppance (2007)
Diorama (2006)
Room (2004)
Polaris (2003)
Punctata (2002)
Grants since 2021
2025 Arts Promotion Centre Finland, working grant; three years
2024 AVEK, Media Art Project Grant for Smoking Spot
2024 Arts Promotion Centre Finland, Public display grant
2024 VISEK Centre for the Promotion of Visual Art
2024 AVEK Audiovisual Centre, scriptwriting
2024 Arts Promotion Centre Finland, Project Grant for Diabolus ex Machina
2023 AVEK, Media Art Project Grant for Diabolus ex Machina
2023 AVEK Audiovisual Centre, scriptwriting
2022 Arts Promotion Centre Finland, Project Grant for Golden Headacher
2022 AVEK, Media Art Project Grant for
Golden Headacher
2021 The Finnish Cultural Foundation, working grant
Prizes
Honorary Mention, Golden Headacher, Rising of Lusitania – AnimaDoc Film Festival,
Szczecin Poland 2023
1st Prize A Finnish Fable 2011, Videomedeja, Serbia, 2011
1st Prize I Call Myself Sane, Videoformes, Clermont-Ferrand France, 2011
Honorary Mention Good Stuff, Kettupäivät Festival 2009, Helsinki Finland
Honorary Mention Good Stuff, Animatricks 2009, Helsinki
Honorary Mention in the political animation category Good Stuff, Klik! 2009, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Honorary Mention English Lessons, Tampere Film Festival 2009
The Prize for Young Art, Turku Finland 2007
Exhibitions
Pimento, Oulu. Diabolus ex Machina 17.9.-12.10.2025.Galleria Luts LUME, Lohja. Diabolus ex Machina 25.6.-22.7.2025.
MUU MediataideTori 2024, Helsinki. Diabolus ex Machina 17.-21.10.2024
Galleria Huuto. Diabolus ex Machina 1.-25.2.2024.
Finn Agora - The Finnish Institute In Hungary, Budapest. Breaking Up Is Hard To Do (installation) 14.-18.2.2024.
Kampus Art Turku, Finland Educity Media Wall. Good Stuff 1.−29.11.2022
ARX, Hämeenlinna Finland. Good Stuff 22.2.-18.4.2020.
Forum Box Helsinki, Finland. Mediaboxi, Breaking Up Is Hard To Do 28.11.2014 - 21.12.2014.
Galleria Huuto Jätkäsaari, Helsinki Finland. Breaking Up Is Hard To Do 4.10.-19.10.2014.
Villa Roosa, Melankolia, Orimattila, Finland. In Memoriam 2014.
Pori Art Museum, Finland. In Memoriam 29.11.2013- 19.1.2014.
Helsinki-Vantaa Airport Gallery, Art Cinema A Finnish Fable 2011, 2013.
Hibiya Library & Museum, Tokyo Japan. A Finnish Fable 2011, 2013.
Villa Roosa Orimattila, Finland. A Finnish Fable 2011, 2013.
Galleria Rajatila, Tampere Finland. A Finnish Fable 2011, 2013 .
Taidehalli TR1, Festart, Tampere, Finland. A Finnish Fable 2011, 25.2.-25.3.2012.
Suomesta -gallery Berlin, Germany. A Finnish Fable 2011, 21.1.-11.2. 2012
Villa Roosa, Gourmet, Orimattila, Finland. Good Stuff, 2012.
Turku Art Museum, Finland. A Finnish Fable 2011, 18.11.2011-15.1.2012.
Brinkkalan Kassaholvi, Turku, Finland. A Wondrous Dark Fores, 26.11.-18.12.2011.
Turku Art Museum, Finland. I Call Myself Sane, 8.4.-29.5.2011.
Kerava Art Museum, Finland. A Finnish Fable 2011, 14.9.-16.10.2011.
Pori Art Museum, Finland. I Call Myself Sane and A Finnish Fable 2011, 01.-27.11.2011
.
"Illusions of Reality" series, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands. Good Stuff, 2010.
Selected screenings
Does not include co-directed works, co-productions or
productions prior to 2009.
Diabolus ex Machina
Pimento, Oulu. Diabolus ex Machina 17.9.-12.10.2025.
Galleria Luts LUME, Lohja. Diabolus ex Machina 25.6.-22.7.2025.
MUU MediataideTori 2024, Helsinki. Diabolus ex Machina 17.-21.10.2024
Galleria Huuto, Helsinki Finland. 1.-25.2.2024.
Golden Headacher
Prizes: Honorary Mention, Rising of Lusitania – AnimaDoc Film Festival, Szczecin Poland.
Tricky Women/Tricky Realities International Animation Filmfestival, Vienna, Austria 6.-10.3.2024
Finn Agora - The Finnish Institute In Hungary, Budapest. 14.-18.2.2024.
Stuttgarter Filmwinter - Festival For Expanded Media. 17.1.-23.1.2024, Germany
Fredrikstad Animation Festival 19.-22.10.2023, Norway.
Luff, Lausanne Underground Film and Music Festival,18.-22-10-2023, Lausanne Switzerland
Festival des Cinémas Différents et Expérimentaux de Paris, 11-15.10.23, Paris France
Balkanima, 19th European Animated Film Festival 4.-9.10.23, Belgrade, Serbia
Revolutions per Minute festival, Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts (27.9.-1.10.23), USA
Rising of Lusitania - Animadoc Film Festival 2023, 07-13.09.2023, Szczecin, Poland.
Minikino Film Week in Bali, Indonesia September 2023
Fronteira Cine Brasília, from August 29th to September 3rd.
Turku Animated Film Festival, 23.-27.8.2023 Turku Finland
Animist Tallinn 16-19 August 2023, Tallinn, Estonia.
Animafest Zagreb, Kroatia 5-10 June 2023.
Premiere at Espoo Ciné International Film Festival. Espoo, Finland 8/2022.
TV-PREMIERE IN FINLAND
13.5.23 YLE Teema/Fem.
What Time Is?
Selected
for AV-Arkki Festival Catalogue 2020-2021.
8-9/2021 IndieLisboa, Lissabon, Portugal
8/2021 Turku Animated Film Festival. National
competition. Turku, Finland.
19.-25.7.2021 Melbourne International Animation
Festival. Competitive screening "Abstract Showcase"
1.-4.7.2021 Fest Anča International Animation
Festival. Screening "Contemporary Abstract and Non-narrative Animation".
Stanica Žilina-Záriečie, Slovakia
21.5-6.6.2021 Kurtzfilm Regensburg, Germany.
International competition.
3/ 2021 Festival International du Film sur l´Art
(FIFA), Montreal, Canada
1/2021 Minimalen Short Film Festival, Norway
11/2020 Jukka Ruohomäen 50-vuotis säveltäjäjuhla,
Musiikkitalo Helsinki./Jukka Ruohomäki 50 year composer career screening,
Musiikkitalo Helsinki.
3.-11.10.2020 Curtocircuíto -
International Film Festival, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
10/2020
Uuden musiikin lokakuu, Oulu
10/
2020 Aesthetica Short Film Festival, UK
10/
2020 Fredrikstad Animation Festival, Norway
20.8.2020 Sähköä ilmassa, Runokuu-festivaali,
elokuvateatteri Orion, Helsinki
4.-8.3.2020 Tampere Film Festival- National
competition
Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
14.-18.2.2024
Finn Agora - The Finnish Institute In Hungary, Budapest (installation).
March 2022, Tampere Film Festival, Finland. Screening: "Rituals".
21.-25.8.2019,
Turku Animated Film Festival, Finland, retrospective Niina Suominen.
18.3.2017
Kinos-festivaali Lahti, Finland.
In Memoriam
21.-25.8.2019,
Turku Animated Film Festival, retrospective Niina Suominen
19.3.2017 Finnish Film Foundation Lyhyesti kerran
kuussa screening, Helsinki, Finland.
International
Short Film Festival Peru 2013 -
25 FPS Festival,
Zagreb Croatia 2013
Leiden
International Short Film Experience 2013, Nederlands
Tampere
Film Festival - National competition, Finland, 03/2013
43rd
International Film Festival Rotterdam - AV-arkki P&I screening, 01/2013
A Finnish Fable
2011
Prizes: Sphinx Award (1st prize), Videomedeja, Serbia.
14.-16.10.2021, 25th anniversary of
Videomedeja Festival. Special program of Sphinx Award Winners. Novi Sad, Serbia.
10.-14.3.2021,
Tampere Film Festival, Human being as a species - thematic screening.
6-15.11.2019, Cultura Fest,
Helsinki Finland
21.-25.8.2019,
Turku Animated Film Festival, retrospective
Niina Suominen
12/2017 Anilogue, Budapest,
Hungary
8/2017 Turku animated film festival,
Turku, Finland
21-26.9.2017 Nordisk Panorama Film Festival Malmö,
Sweden
Art Cinema, Helsinki-Vantaan
lentokenttägalleria 2.10.2013
Ozu
Film Festival, Sassuolo, Italy, 11/2012
Flip
International Animation Festival, Wolverhampton, United Kingdom, 11/2012
Encounters
Short Film and Animation Festival
Fine
Finnish Frames screening, Bristol, United Kingdom, 07/2012
XXII
Message to Man International Film Festival - Competition for experimental films
& Silence is golden online competition, St. Petersburg, Russia, 09/2012
L'étrange
Festival - Short film competition, Paris, France, 09/2012
Finnish
Short Film Night @ Riff Raff Kino, Zürich, Switzerland, 07/2012
12th
New Horizons - International Film Festival - International Competition,
Wroclaw, Poland, 07/2012
10th
In the Palace - International Short Film Festival - Finnish short films
screening, Varna, Bulgaria, 07/2012
Peace
& Love Film Festival 2012 - Short Film category, Borlänge, Sweden, 06/2012
TAIS
Animation Showcase 2012, Toronto, Canada, 06/2012
58th
International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, AV-arkki market screening,
Germany 04/2012
Anirmau
'12 - Animation Film Festival - International competition, Lalín, Spain -
04/2012
Lago Film
Festival, Revine Lago, Italy. 6/2012
Tampere
International Short Film Festival 3/2012
Animax Skopje
Animation Festival, Republic of Macedonia , 11/2011
Videomedeja film
festival, Novi Sad, Serbia. 12
/2011
28th Helsinki Short Film Festival, competition for animated
films, Helsinki, Finland, 11/2011
11th Animatricks
Animation Festival - New Finnish Animations National competition, Helsinki,
Finland, 10/2011
11th Nordisk
Panorama Five Cities Film Festival - Nordic Short Film Competition, Aarhus,
Denmark, 09/2011
18th
International Animated Film Festival "KROK", International competition, Kiev,
Zaporozhye, Sevastopol, Odessa, Ukraine, 09/2011
Reikäreuna Film
Festival 2011, Thematic screenings, Orivesi, Finland, 09/2011
AniFestROZAFA
2011, International Competition, Shkodra, Albania 09/2011
9th In The Palace
Film Festival municipality competition, Balchik, Bulgaria 06/2011
I Call Myself Sane
Prizes: 1st prize, Videoformes, Clermont-Ferrand, France.
21.-25.8.2019, Turku Animated Film Festival, retrospective
Niina Suominen
Melbourne
International Animation Festival 2012, International competition, Australia,
06/2012
Anirmau 12 ́,
Animation Film Festival, Lalin, Spain. 4 / 2012
Animax Skopje
Animation Festival, Republic of Macedonia , 11/2011
3rd Sadho Poetry
Film Festival, Instantsvideo screening, New Delhi, India, 11/2011
12th Animated
dreams, 15th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, Tallinn, Estonia, 11/2011
Rio De Janeiro
International Short Film Festival - Curtacinema 2011, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
10/2011
Cartes Flux 2011
Media Art Festival, Espoo, Finland 10/2011
Reikäreuna Film
Festival 2011, Thematic screenings, Orivesi, Finland, 09/2011
AniFestROZAFA
2011, International Competition, Shkodra, Albania 09/2011
Flow Festival 2011, Future Shorts screening,
Helsinki, Finland 08/2011
9th In The Palace
Film Festival, AV-arkki Market Screening 06/2011
Kinos 2011 -
Short Film Festival, Lahti, Finland 4/2011
Tampere Film
Festival, National Competition, Tampere, Finland 03/2011
Videoformes, Clermont-Ferrand,
France 03/2011
Akbank 7th short
film festival, Istanbul, Turkey, 03/2011
The 7th Berlin
International Director ́s Lounge, Berlin, Germany, 02/2011
24th Stuttgarter
filmwinter, International Short Film Competition, Stuttgart, Germany, 01/2011
14th
International video festival VIDEOMEDEJA, Novi Sad, Serbia, 12/2010
9. - 14.11.2010
27th Kassel Documentary Film and Video Festival, Germany
14. - 17.10.2010
ZEBRA Poetry Film Festival, Berlin, Germany
14. - 17.10.2010
Animatricks, Helsinki, Finland
Good Stuff
Prizes:
Honorary Mention, Nordic Glory Film Festival 2009, Jyväskylä Finland
Honorary Mention, Kettupäivät elokuvafestivaali 2009, Helsinki Finland
Honorary Mention, Animatricks 2009, Helsinki Finland
Honorary Mention in the Political Animation Category, Klik! Amsterdam Animation Festival 2009, Netherlands
1.−29.11.2022 Kampus Art Turku, Finland Educity media wall.
21.-25.8.2019, Turku Animated Film Festival, retrospective Niina Suominen.
2018 Oulun New Music October.
Espoo
Cine 27.8.2014, Espoo, Finland
29th
Helsinki Short Film Festival 21st Century Finnish Animation Screening,
Helsinki, Finland, 11/2012
42nd
Tampere Film Festival, AV-arkki - Good stuff - screening, Tampere, Finland,
03/2012
Encounters
Short Film and Animation Festival, Bristol, United Kingdom, 09/2012
Animax Skopje
Animation Festival, Republic of Macedonia , 11/2011
11th Oldenburg
Short Film Days zwergWERK, Oldenburg, Germany, 11/2011
Barbakan Film
Festival, Finnish animated shorts screening, Prague, Czech Republic, 11/2011
Reikäreuna Film
Festival 2011, Thematic screenings, Orivesi, Finland, 09/2011
Flow Festival
2011, Future Shorts screening, Helsinki, Finland 08/2011
9th In The Palace
Film Festival, Balchik, Bulgaria - AV-arkki market screening 06/2011
7th Athens Video
Art Festival, Animation programme, 05/2011*
IFFF - Dortmund I
Köln - International women's film festival - 04/2011
Videoformes,
Clermont-Ferrand, France 03/2011
9th Filmmor Women
́s Film Festival, Istanbul, Turkey, 03/2011
12. - 28.11.2010
19ème Festival International Séquence Court-Métrage, Toulouse, France
10. - 12.11.2010
21st LJUBLJANA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (LIFFe 2010), Slovenia
5. - 13.11.2010
Filmets Badalona Film Festival, Barcelona, Spain
1.11. -
31.12.2010 HSL Culture Tram 7A, Helsinki, Finland
23. - 31.10.2010
XVII Festival Internacional de Jóvenes Realizadores de Granada, Spain
18. - 24.10.2010
53rd International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film - DOK
Leipzig, Germany
28.9. - 3.10.2010 EcoVision 2010 International Festival of
Environment & Cinema, Palermo, Italy - 3. - 12.9.2010 ISAFF OPEN CINEMA
International Short & Animation Film Festival, St.Petersburg, Russia
21. - 25.7. Gimli
Film Festival, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
9. -31.7.2010 2010
26th International Festival of Animated Cinema and Comics, Rimini, Italy
19.6.2010 De
l'impact de l'alimentation sur l'environnement, Institut finlandais, Paris,
France
31.5. - 6.6.2010
50th Krakow Film Festival, Crakow, Poland - 26. - 30.5.2010 Manlleu Film
Festival, Barcelona, Spain
1.5.2010 - 31.12.2010 Online exhibition of European
short films in the course of the RUHR.2010 European Capital of Culture
(www.europeinshorts.com)
1.5. - 6.6. 2010
12th Mo&Friese Children's Short Film Festival Hamburg, Germany
24.4 -1.5.2010 Rec
10 - Festival Internacional de Cinema de Tarragona, Spain
9. - 18.4.2010
The 12th Mecal International Short Film Festival, Barcelona, Spain
17. - 21.3.2010
Go Short International Short Film Festival Nijmegen, Netherlands
10. - 14.3.2010
Tampere International Film Festival, Finland
13.3.2010 Tampere
International Film Festival 40 Year Anniversary Screening, Finland
8th KaraFilm
festival 2010. Karachi, Pakistan
4.-8.3.2010
Tricky Women 2010. Vienna, Austria
24.2.2010 Doc Lounge.
Helsinki, Finland
10.-14.2.2010
Best of Klik! in five cities: Moscow,Voronezh, Rostov-na-Donu, Ekaterinburg,
Chelyabinsk, Russia
30.1.2010 FLUXEE
- Experimental Art & Entertainment Club, Turku, Finland
27.11 -4.12.2009
16th International Film Festival Etiuda & Anima, Crakow, Poland.
19.-22.11.2009
Arktisen upeeta pohjoismaisen elokuvan festivaali / Nordic Glory Film Festival,
Jyväskylä, Finland.
11.-16.11.2009
Tehran 14th International Short Film Festival, Iran.
4.-7.11.2009, Kettupäivät elokuvafestivaali ,
Helsinki, Finland.
22.10 - 25.10.2009 Helsingin kirjamessut,
Kopioston Kulttuurikoti-osasto, Finland.
19-25.10.2009
Uppsala International Short Film Festival, Uppsala, Sweden.
10.-17.10.2009
Curtocircuito, Santiago De Compostela, Spain.
25.-30.9.2009
Nordisk Panorama - 5 Cities Film Festival, Reykjavík, Iceland.
20.9.2009
Kosmorama kinoklubi, Turku, Finland.
18 - 20.9.2009
Animatricks, Helsinki, Finland.
17. - 20.9.2009
KLIK! Amsterdam Animation Festival 2009, Netherlands
23.5.2009, Polar
Film Festival, Turku, Finland.
Premiere 22.5.2009 Turun
ylioppilasteatteri, Finland.
TV-PREMIERE IN FINLAND
5.9.2010 YLE TV1, Finland.
TV-SCREENINGS ABROAD Turner Broadcasting, Latin America and the Caribbean, (pay tv, vod and mobile)
DVD
VIEW 4. Good Stuff - suomalaisten taiteilijoiden
animaatioteoksia (julkaisija AV-arkki)
Tampere Film
Festival - Short Films from Finland vol. 6 ( A Finnish Fable 2011)
Tampere Film
Festival - Short Films from Finland vol. 5 ( Hyvä meininki)
Kinokompo vol.3 - lyhytelokuvia Suomesta
vuodelta 2009 (Hyvä meininki)
Luonnonlaki - 120 000 freimiä vetovoimaisia
animaatioita (2008, animaatio Ahneen Palkka)
Pixoff- 43 Shortfilms from Finland
(tuotantovuosi 2005, koosteella animaatio Polaris)