24.9.–18.10.2026

Huuto III

Ladies and gentlemen!

A great freak of nature has arrived in town! The Real Bearded Lady! Come and witness
with your own eyes the Bearded Lady’s almost entirely hair-covered body, dressed in
clothes in which only a few people have ever seen her!

Striptease is a series of sideshow posters that I have painted using myself as the
model, wearing clothes that I own but that have been too revealing for me to wear as
they are in public. Most of the paintings are painted on the widest canvases available on
the market and displayed largely on the floor. Sideshow posters have traditionally been
enormous and very colorful, and, to my knowledge, they have always featured bright
red frames – elements that I repeat in my own paintings.

Striptease is a continuation of my project I Want to See What I Look Like, which started
from my desire to see myself as I really am, instead of shaving constantly and daily. I
began painting the posters in 2023, before finally letting my hair grow in the autumn of
2024, during a residency at the Saari Residence in the peaceful Mynämäki area.
Painting enormous self-portraits has been a kind of therapy for me. Through it, I first
imagined what I might look like with a beard, gradually becoming accustomed to the
idea of having one. Then I documented what my beard actually looks like, and now, in
this exhibition, I have expanded my focus to other parts of my body.

I hope that my project reaches women who hide their body hair and makes them smile.
In my paintings, I strive to be honest about my hair.

Thank you
My work has been supported by the Finnish Arts and Culture Agency (Kuvi).

Contact details
maippiketola (a) gmail.com