Hailing from Finland, Anna Pesonen has navigated a diverse international career over the past decade, making her mark as a stylist, image director, and creative consultant across cultural hubs like Paris, Tokyo, Helsinki, and Mallorca. Currently residing in London, Pesonen has established enduring partnerships with brands such as Maison Margiela MM6, AMBUSH, OFF-WHITE, Nike, Rimowa, A-COLD-WALL*, among others. Venturing into new creative territories, Pesonen has recently embraced the world of sculpture and digital space curation. In 2023, she introduced her first collection of marble sculptures named ‘Discourse,’ artfully blurring the boundaries between art and design.
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In this exclusive interview with DSCENE Magazine, by editor Anastasija Pavic, Pesonen opens up about the inspirations that fuel her transition towards creating marble sculptures, particularly her debut collection, ‘Discourse.’ Rooted deeply in her familial heritage of creators and her innate drive to forge worlds through visual storytelling, Pesonen’s artistic journey is an example of the boundless possibilities that emerge when one dares to cross disciplinary boundaries. Her engagement with local artisans in Northwest Italy and her contemplative approach to the metaphysical functions of her sculptures reflect a deep-seated desire to provoke thought, foster dialogue, and challenge societal norms through the medium of art.
What inspired you to transition from image direction and styling to creating marble sculptures, and how does this reflect your evolution as an artist? – It wasn’t just one single moment. It’s been an evolving and continuous process throughout my life and career. Growing up, I was surrounded by creators from both sides of my family. My grandmother still makes ceramics in her home studio and participates in local exhibitions regularly. I’ve always been creating something, whether it was a handmade magazine before I was able to use a computer, customizing my clothes after being inspired by some of the music videos on MTV, or doing creative direction for album covers for the band me and my friend started in elementary school. It was so ordinary for many members of my family to be working on creative projects for the sake of the enjoyment it brought them, but considering it as a viable career path wasn’t really something they saw as a possibility.
So, when it was time for me to choose where and what to study, I lacked direction, so I decided to study audio-visual communication. Then I went into photography and realized on the first day of that course that I really am only interested in creating stories and images, not in the technical aspect of that craft specifically. And then, I happened to end up in a photo shoot for the first time in my life, and I saw what the stylist was doing and thought, “That’s it! She’s building a world. That’s what I want to do.” I was 17 and still lived in my hometown in Finland. As soon as I could, I moved abroad and started building a career in fashion. Developing as an artist has been and is an ongoing process for me. I’m still developing my practice. The most important thing is that I have the space for experimentation and authorship now. It’s a joy for me also to explore my family history through the practice.
How did your collaboration with local artisans in Northwest Italy influence the creation of the Discourse series? – This was truly how it all started, in the physical and practical sense. I went to a stone carving studio to learn, and in order to practice, I freestyled a 2.5-meter (8ft)-tall sculpture out of different types of discarded marble and stones. The artisans taught me about the tools, techniques, and craft. At that time, the process of deciding what to sculpt wasn’t based on research or a fully developed concept, which is how I would normally work, so I really couldn’t wait to do something with more structure and create a world around it. The Discourse was that project. I feel at home at the studio; I always feel like possibilities are endless, especially when I’m working with a skilled artisan. It’s really a lifestyle, and I admire them for being so dedicated to their craft. It’s not an easy work environment.
I see art and design being in constant conversation with the world, reflecting back on what we are feeling and going through.
Can you describe the metaphysical functions you envision for your sculptures and how they facilitate self-reflection or discourse? – The DIALOGUE SEAT sits two people simultaneously, facing each other in close proximity. I was drawn to the beauty in the ritual of listening to someone and lending them compassion and empathy, no matter where they are coming from, and hoped to create that space for any two people spending time together on the seat. I think there’s also beauty in not being able to hide behind anything, whether it’s a social media handle or whatever digital.
On the other hand, the INTROSPECTION SEAT is designed for one person to sit on, although not particularly comfortably, in terms of how Western furniture is nowadays. There’s intentionality there and also in the chosen material. I wanted to create something that had a connection to my thoughts about society. We experience a type of inertia, probably due to being desensitized by the insane number of images we are fed on a daily basis on social media. What’s more, there, we regularly see something really devastating, followed by someone selling a product in a light-hearted influencer video. In my mind, the seats are commenting on those societal challenges. Being uncomfortable and impractical, rather than a chair to lounge on, makes its presence known and noticed as soon as one sits on it. And I think only good things can start when we’re present and wide awake.
Your work addresses global challenges like divisive politics and misinformation. How do you see art and design contributing to these conversations? – I see art and design being in constant conversation with the world, reflecting back on what we are feeling and going through. I think it provides the space and tools to participate in that conversation. It usually shows us where we are and where we are heading. Art and design have an immense power to inspire action by first being felt.
Time and space continuously fascinate me. A lot of my work is rooted in that and the significance of building something that lasts.
What is the significance of choosing marble as the medium for your Discourse series, and how does it relate to the concepts you’re exploring? – Time and space continuously fascinate me. A lot of my work is rooted in that and the significance of building something that lasts. I was thinking about creating a body of work that I would’ve wanted to see as a young girl. Also, subconsciously, it may have been a reaction echoing the transience of my routine at the time and gravitating to a material that feels seemingly so permanent.
With your background in fashion, art, and design, how do you approach integrating these disciplines in your sculptures? – I’m not sure how much my work in fashion integrates with the practice—except when it comes to, for example, a multidisciplinary installation I’m currently working on. In such cases, the physical experience is at the forefront of my mind, but so is the documentation, and expanding that into the printed matter from video and so on.
As Discourse is set to have both physical and digital showcases, can you share how these different formats will expand the exploration of your work? – There’s beauty in both, and I try not to neglect either, but they differ massively.
I’ve created a considerable amount of imagery and video to accompany the pieces in order to preserve them as part of the world.
What’s next for you? – I’m focusing a lot on building a tribe around the work and a suitable space for us to work on it. I’m working on a physical showcase with sculpture, a film, and a large-scale multidisciplinary installation, a deep dive into the exploration of my Karelian roots.
