Jan Kaila: Elis Sinistö and Villa Mehu – Do-it-yourself life

Elis Sinistö (1919–2004) was a dancer, practitioner of yoga, pacifist, and vegetarian. Sinistö was a hermit mystic and outsider artist* who lived outside of society and its practices. Sinistö created a small world unto itself and lived there in a respectful relationship with nature. Sinistö felt that adhering to the values of the modern world makes people sever their ties with nature, playfulness and happiness.

Villa Mehu was Sinistö’s home and artistic creation in the middle of a forest in Kirkkonummi. Sinistö moved to the Villa Mehu land in 1954 and lived there until death. Sinistö built over a dozen imaginative buildings on the Villa Mehu land, including the Sun Sauna, Hermit’s Hut, 7th Heaven, Hotel Elite, and Fairytale Nest. Sinistö’s sculptures, paintings, poetry and epigrams were scattered throughout the forest. The master of Villa Mehu always welcomed visitors and wanted to spread joy. “The happiest thing is to be happy” was Sinistö’s often-heard motto.

For photographer Jan Kaila (b. 1957), Elis Sinistö’s world was a fairytale playground in the Kirkkonummi of the 1960s. Kaila’s parents forbade his excursions to Sinistö’s land, but they could not stop his adventures in Villa Mehu. Kaila has stated that the adults felt that there was something threatening in Sinistö. Perhaps they considered Sinistö’s lifestyle weird and contrary to society’s expectations. Jan Kaila’s work on Elis Sinistö was chosen for the exhibition because it portrays resistance toward societal restrictions. It feels like Sinistö turned the diagnostic gaze around, towards the society.

Kaila moved back to the region in the 1980s and got to know Elis Sinistö. Kaila continued to collaborate with Sinistö for years.

*in Finnish, ITE art (ITE = itse tehty elämä, literally “self-made life”). ITE art refers to art made by self-taught artists in everyday environments.

Jan Kaila’s artworks are part of the Finnish Museum of Photography collections.

DIAGNOSIS

PVF 2024
31.1.–5.5.2024
The Finnish Museum of Photography

**Learn more about Jan Kaila’s work with Elis Sinistö. Rabbe Sandström reads Jan Kaila’s text Realism, Romanticism, Mysticism from the book Jan Kaila / Elis Sinistö, 1992 (in English):**

Elis Sinistön Taivaat (2023)

It is possible to visit Villa Mehu virtually through the work Elis Sinistön Taivaat (2023), created by The Association for Rural Culture and Education. It is a virtual, digital reconstruction, exhibition and independent artwork. The work aims to preserve and present not only the disappearing and fragile artistic environment of Villa Mehu, but also Elis Sinistö's life philosophy, spirit and the phenomena that have developed around it. Images, art, interpretations, texts, and documentary videos, soundscapes and soundworks, 360 images of Villa Mehu and 3D art have been brought together in the work. The work lives in time – it can be constantly added to and changed.

Elis Sinistön Taivaat, virtual exhibition and artwork, can be viewed and used here.