Paula Pasanen
Synesthesia is a neurological trait in which different senses or concepts become automatically linked together. This means that a stimulus—such as a sound, word, number, time period, or memory—can consistently trigger an additional experience, like a color, shape, or sensation. The experience is not voluntary or imagined on purpose; it happens naturally and tends to remain stable over time. Synesthesia is not an illness, but rather a natural variation in the way some people’s brains process and connect information.
I experience certain memories and places as colors, especially memories from childhood, which always appear in the same shades. Specific places have their own consistent colors that do not change with my mood or situation, but instead feel inherently connected to them. When I think about these places, the color appears automatically as part of the memory, as if it were an integral feature of the experience itself. These colors are not random; they remain the same year after year and make the memories feel distinct and recognizable.
My work, whether abstract or inspired by architecture, is deeply rooted in emotional states that intertwine with memories and generate powerful inner experiences. I experience memories and places as colors—often these experiences return to me in the same consistent shades—and this synesthetic way of perceiving the world strongly guides my artistic practice. Color is not merely a visual choice for me; it emerges as an automatic, experiential phenomenon that serves as the starting point of my work.
My abstract pieces express strong and sometimes fleeting emotions. I strive to create a visual counterpart to a feeling that is, in itself, an extremely abstract concept—as if translating an internal, wordless experience into visible form through color and shape. We all experience love, joy, frustration, or even anger, but each in our own way—can anyone truly say that my joy is exactly the same as yours? My synesthetic perception makes these emotions tangible: they take on hue, intensity, and spatial presence, guiding the construction of the work.
For this reason, I invite the viewer to approach my abstract works with an open mind and to encounter the emotion within them through their own identity and personal experiences. I do not aim to define how a piece “should” feel; rather, I offer a space in which the viewer’s own memories and inner colors can enter into dialogue with the work.
In my architectural works, emotional states are expressed particularly through the relationship between color and structure. A geometric, visually structured language meets soft, woolen material, creating a deliberate contrast. Enduring, structural forms carry within them colors that arise from memories and synesthetic imagery. I am fascinated by the permanence of architecture in relation to the fleeting and temporary nature of emotions—how a momentary inner experience can anchor itself in spatial and structural form.
In all of my works, the creative process is deeply meditative. I focus strongly on being present in the moment, as well as on the duration and patience required in the working process, allowing the piece to build over time with its own inherent weight. The process is a way of listening to my inner world and allowing colors to guide me—not through force, but by gently inviting them to emerge.
"Art is the concrete representation of our most subtle feelings."
– Agnes Martin
“Art is a way to revisit our past, breathing life into the emotions woven through memories that shape who we are.”
– Paula Pasanen
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