Anna Järvinen, a Swedish-Finnish artist, met for an interview on Helsinki’s Bulevardi, a street she romanticizes and has even written a song about. Despite her fondness for the street, the interview took place on a rather dreary day, mirroring the organic and unplanned nature of her creative process. Both her recent album, ”Sex,” and her upcoming novel, ”Otrygg” (Insecure), emerged from life experiences, with art serving as a coping mechanism for Järvinen. Her work, encompassing music and writing, often reflects the complexities of her Swedish-Finnish identity.
Järvinen’s artistic journey began in childhood with the gift of a diary, sparking a daily writing habit that continues to this day. While writing forms the foundation of her creative expression, her approach to music and literature differs. Music, for her, is a collaborative process, a vibrant exchange with her long-time band members. She describes a spontaneous, improvisational approach, allowing the music to unfold organically in the studio. ”Sex,” her latest album, reflects this dynamic, blending live recordings and studio productions, echoing the spirit of her earlier albums.
In contrast, the writing process is more solitary. Though initial ideas flow intuitively, as with her music, Järvinen undertakes a rigorous editing process, shaping the raw material into a cohesive narrative. ”Otrygg,” her second novel, explores the challenging theme of a mother’s descent into dementia and the daughter’s grapple with their complex relationship. This autofictional work, inspired by her own mother’s diagnosis with Lewy body dementia, delves into the pervasive sense of insecurity that has marked Järvinen’s life, linked to the emotional distance she experienced with her mother.
The mother-daughter dynamic, a recurring theme in literature, fascinates Järvinen. She attributes the enduring interest in this complex relationship to the inherent vulnerability and intimacy it embodies, especially the mother’s capacity to see through her daughter, even in adulthood. This theme intertwines with another prominent aspect of ”Otrygg”: aging. Järvinen likens the experience of approaching menopause to a second puberty, a period of self-awareness and vulnerability. These themes resonate with current cultural trends, reflecting a broader societal grappling with aging and familial relationships, as evidenced by the popularity of works like Filip and Fredrik’s ”Den sista resan.”
Järvinen suggests that her generation’s prolonged adolescence, characteristic of a carefree 1980s, contributes to the shock and difficulty of confronting parental aging. This generational perspective, steeped in the pursuit of freedom and a resistance to traditional structures, makes the transition to accepting parental decline particularly jarring. She contrasts this experience with that of younger, more goal-oriented generations, highlighting a generational shift in attitudes towards career and life planning. This observation, she notes, is primarily based on her experiences in Stockholm and may not fully reflect the Finnish experience.
The interview also touched upon Järvinen’s dual Swedish-Finnish heritage, a significant influence on her artistic expression. While she applauds the recent surge of interest in Finnish culture within Sweden, exemplified by artists like Markus Krunegård and Miriam Bryant incorporating Finnish into their work, she emphasizes that this interest is not new. Järvinen points to earlier periods, particularly the 1990s, when Finnish artists like Aki Kaurismäki and 22-Pistepirkko enjoyed considerable popularity in Sweden. This long-standing appreciation for Finnish culture, she argues, contradicts the notion that the current fascination is a novel phenomenon, suggesting a deeper, more continuous cultural exchange between the two countries.
