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Yyhely Hälvin (Põlva, 1993): “I am a visual artist and an art teacher from Setomaa, where I spent most of my childhood. All the mysticism and unique environment of this part of South Estonia is still close to my heart. Maybe because my mother is a local artisan and painter, I started becoming more and more interested in the field of art. After graduating from the Estonian Academy of Arts animation department (2012, cum laude), I became interested in educational topics and soon earned my master’s degree in this field from Tallinn University. In my works it is noticeable a mixture of macabre and beauty, I like to create beings and creatures from the unconscious mind. I feel comfortable experimenting with various materials and mediums such as printmaking and watercolor as well as photography, clay or even leather. For me it is important to give something back to our local community and to teach children seems to be most suitable for me. It is not just telling someone what to do, it is a way of learning from the children. So, I came back from the city, currently working in Põlva as an art teacher and at the same time trying to be an artist’s soul.”
Teano Kardula (Skopje, 1997): “A dedicated and passionate 27-year-old graphic designer from North Macedonia, I am a tireless seeker of creative solutions to design challenges. A University of Sunderland graduate with over six years of experience, I focus on social design, working on projects advocating feminism, social equality, and LGBTIQ+ and minority rights. As a member of the Aromanian minority, I co-founded TYCHE/TIHE, an association promoting Aromanian culture, nearly two years ago. One of the few young Aromanian speakers in North Macedonia, I actively raise awareness about preserving Aromanian heritage and remain committed to advocating for the rights of minority communities.”
Ricard Novell (Barcelona, 1961): “Even though I was born in a city, my childhood memories have always been linked to nature. I visited Val d’Aran for the first time when I was one year old. We had camped by the Garonne River. When the clouds dissipated, I could see Betlan’s bell tower, and a bit later, the one in Montcorbau. That town was to be a part of my life from then on. I have lived in Val d’Aran since 1984, and I am lucky to be able to feel its essence every day. As a child, I loved drawing, but I did not pick up a pencil again until the end of the 90’s. From 2001 onward, I have exhibited my works in several locations in the Pyrenees. I also have created many natural and cultural heritage illustrations, which have been placed in information panels that can be seen at various spots in the Pyrenees. In 2009 and 2013, I published a small hiking guide of the “Camin Reiau” and a map of Val d’Aran, alongside several local legends. In 2020, I published Un viatge fantastic a traci de creion. Es pòbles dera Val d’Aran. By now, the fifth edition has been published, and the book has been translated to French and Aranese.”
Viktoria Ratasich (Oberpullendorf, 1997): lives and works in Vienna and runs a Feminist Cross Stitch Club. Ratasich is studying Art Teaching at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. The artist deals mostly with the topics of feminism, language, and the use of social media. Her artistic role model is first and foremost that which surrounds her – the diversity of individuals, different lived realities, and perspectives of society. Feminist Cross Stitch Club is part of her master’s thesis – the project started in 2020, and since then she has also held a series of workshops. In 2022, Ratasich and her Feminist Cross Stitch Club were part of the Wienwoche (Vienna Week). In June 2023, she was awarded the Croatian Center (Hrvatski Centar)’s ‘Mini METRON’ prize for young talent for her work. In March 2024, Ratasich received the ‘Burgenländerin-Award’ from the magazine ‘Die Burgenländerin’ in the category of art and culture.”
Lianne Wilson: describes herself as a Cornish artist, writer, poet, leftist, activist and chronic dabbler who has trouble saying no to ‘just one more’ project. She is fiercely queer and queerly fierce. She is disabled, battling CFS/ME, with a side of anxiety. She comes from the moon ‘mountains’ and alcopop pools of Clay Country, Kernow. She lives in Cardiff, having gone to uni there. In 2023, Lianne was made a bard of Gorsedh Kernow, taking the name Niwlen Ster (‘nebula’), a name she uses online. She works in Kernewek, English and sometimes a little Welsh. She is a three times Gorsedh Kernow award winner for her Kernewek writing; her poetry has been published in various zines and a book. Born in 1985, her artwork is influenced by the hauntology of synthwave, ‘90s kid nostalgia and glitch, sometimes made traditionally, sometimes digitally, often a mix. Her artwork is another vehicle for her activism: more Kernewek being more rebellious in more places seen by more people. She makes some merch with her designs on, some of which raises money for mutual aid. She wants a radical language with “room for onan hag oll (one and all), so that folk can live their whole life in if they want.”