COME
DIVE
WITH ME

I am Päivi Luoma, a visual artist working with underwater photography, video, painting and sound.

ABOUT

My relationship with water began in childhood, long before I had a camera. The sea and submerged spaces became places of curiosity, calm, and imagination. I grew up by the sea in Vaasa, where the beauty of the coastline existed alongside traces of human impact. Experiencing these contrasts early on shaped my sensitivity to underwater environments and continues to influence my artistic practice.

With a professional background in visual communication and graphic design, I approach my work with strong visual clarity, careful composition, and a high level of technical and aesthetic quality. I operate with both artistic sensitivity and professional precision.

My work moves between stillness and movement, light and depth, inviting the viewer to slow down, step below the surface, and stay there for a moment.

EXHIBITIONS

My exhibitions are collections of underwater atmosphere, combining photography and video. The works explore light, movement, and presence beneath the surface, creating calm, contemplative spaces that invite the viewer to slow down and observe.

Alongside underwater imagery, my exhibitions often include elements from the Skate or Dive series, where surfboards function as sculptural and pictorial surfaces. These works bridge different subcultures and ways of moving through the world and water — and have become a central and highly requested part of my exhibitions.

Together, the underwater works and Skate or Dive pieces form a coherent visual language that moves between stillness and motion, depth and surface. The exhibitions are designed to adapt to different spaces, allowing photography, video, and objects to interact and create a unified, sensory experience.

ABOVE AND BELOW

Group exhibition with Anna Hämäläinen

Above and Below is a joint exhibition by Päivi Luoma and Anna Hämäläinen — a journey from planetary heights to underwater depths. Beyond that, the exhibition resists clear explanation. It is an experience rather than a statement, unfolding through moving image, scale, and atmosphere.

The exhibition brings together video works and spatial elements, creating a playful and immersive environment where viewers are invited to move between different states of perception.

Exhibition

2023 October
Onkiniemi Ateljee, Tampere

ART OF FREEDIVING

The contrast between dark waters and light reveals the quiet beauty of the underwater world. A sense of stillness and weightlessness allows the viewer to slow down and enter a calm, contemplative state.

The exhibition presents underwater environments not as distant or exotic, but as places of presence. Through photography and video, the works highlight the depth, silence, and subtle movement found beneath the surface — close to home.

Exhibitions

2022 October
Hiedanranta, Tampere

2022 November-December
Galleria Oranssi, Tampere

2023 January-February
Pispalan kirjaston Galleria, Tampere

SKATE OR DIVE

SURF / SKATE / FREEDIVE art and photos

SKATE OR DIVE series began with a hand-painted surfboard. From that single object, an exhibition grew — first as a site-specific installation on the wall of a skate shop in Jyväskylä, and later as an expanded exhibition in Studio Vimma, Tampere.

The exhibitions brought together painted surfboards and skateboards, surfboard fins, underwater photographs, gel prints, stickers, and lowbrow-inspired elements. Moving between subcultures and environments, the works explore different ways of navigating the world — across surfaces, through movement, and beneath water.

The surfboard works have since become a central and frequently requested element of my exhibitions, functioning both as sculptural objects and visual narratives.

Exhibitions

2024 October
Ruudun takaa, Kaarikoira Skate Collective Tampere

2024 May-July
Studio Vimma, Tampere

2021 January-May
Liike22, Jyväskylä

“Taiteilija ja graafikko Päivi Luoma valokuvaa vapaasukeltaen. Vapaasukellus on hänelle tapa rentoutua ja viettää ikimuistoisia hetkiä samanhenkisten ihmisten kanssa. Lajin kautta syntyi myös uusi käsite, poolninjailu, joka on aiheena Päivin videossa, joka sijoittui Sukelluskuvauksen SM-kisoissa videosarjan toiseksi.”

— Sukeltaja-lehti 1/2023

Applying grant for

WE ARE
WATER

2026

ELYSIUM TEASER

2025

2025
Finnish Championship in Underwater Photography
• 1st Prize, Video Category; Elysium
2024
Nordic Championship in Underwater Photography
• 2nd Prize, Image with Model Category
2023
Finnish Championship in Underwater Photography
• 2nd Prize, Domestic Waters Category
• 2nd Prize, “Imagine” Category
2022
Finnish Championship in Underwater Photography
• 2nd Prize, Video Category; Poolninjas
2021
Finnish Championship in Underwater Photography
• 3rd Prize, Film Photography – Underwater-Themed Surface Image
2022
Arts Promotion Centre Finland (Taike)
• Two-month working grant for artistic practice
2021
Arts Promotion Centre Finland (Taike)
• Three-month working grant for artistic practice
• Project: Art of Freediving
2024
Ruudun takaa, Tullinaukio 2, Tampere
October
2024
Skate or Dive II, Studio Vimma, Tampere
May–June
2023
Above and Below, Onkiniemi Ateljee, Tampere
October
2023
Art of Freediving, Pispala Library Gallery, Tampere
January–February
2022
Art of Freediving, Galleria Oranssi, Tampere
November–December
2022
Art of Freediving, Kartanokahvila Mielihyvin, Tampere
October
2021
Woima, Kunnantalo, Iisalmi
August
2020
Skate or Dive, Liike 22, Jyväskylä
January–May

Booking exhibitions for 2026–2027

▸ Contact me in any questions

▸ 2026–2027 bookings are now open

▸ Booking exhibitions for 2026–2027 ▸ Contact me in any questions ▸ 2026–2027 bookings are now open ▸

AVAILABILITY & CONTACT

2026–2027 bookings are now open!

I am open to exhibitions, collaborations, and site-specific installations. Images or documentation of the exhibition space are welcome.

My exhibitions are flexible and adaptable to different kinds of spaces. Depending on the venue, an exhibition can consist of paintings, photography, video, sculptural surfboard works, or a combination of these. The collections include works of varying sizes, allowing each exhibition to be thoughtfully assembled to suit the character and scale of the space.

My work has been exhibited in a wide range of contexts, including galleries, libraries, skate shops, and other non-traditional exhibition spaces. All works are available for sale, and exhibitions can also include small printed works such as postcards, stickers, and other merchandise. Printed materials are produced using recycled or repurposed materials whenever possible.

Each exhibition includes one selected charity artwork, with proceeds directed to a chosen environmental or conservation-related cause.

For exhibition proposals, collaborations, or availability, please feel free to get in touch.

Based in Tampere, FINLAND