As Portail is taking its first steps towards becoming a bilingual online magazine, we are excited to introduce a new article series featuring some of our esteemed friends from the Baltic region and beyond. First up, we’re thrilled to present photographer Vika Anisko, whose work we’ve admired for years.

Name: Vika Anisko

Location: Riga, Latvia

Occupation: photographer, influencer

Instagram: @vikaniska and @anisko.studio

What is your favorite season and why?
The end of summer and the beginning of fall—August and September—are my favorite time of the year. Not only because of my birthday, but also because it represents both an ending and a beginning. During this time, nature is at its peak with rich green colors. The weather is still warm, but the evenings are a bit cooler. It’s perfection.

 

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A post shared by VIKA ANISKO (@vikaniska)

Your favorite Latvian designers/brands and why:
Currently, I am obsessed with the Latvian brand SABĪNE SKARULE. The pieces are unique and authentic; it’s like wearing an intellectual piece of art.

Name 3 of your favorite places in Latvia:
If the question is about places to eat, then I can name more than 3: Truffle Pig, Snatch, Catch, Māsa, Better Bread Lab, and Buržujs.

Where can one get the best coffee in Riga?
For me, the best coffee in Riga is at Kalve and Better Bread. Also, in my studio!

Currently on your wish list:
Find a new studio space, visit Portugal, get a driver’s license.

Fun fact about you:
I can lick my elbow (laughs).

Two iconic Finnish design brands, Artek and Marimekko, collaborate on a new furniture collection, which is presented during 3daysofdesign in Copenhagen. The two brands house a conceptual exhibition at Marimekko’s Copenhagen flagship store at Pilestræde 29, taking place from 17 to 21 June 2025. 

The exhibition gives visitors to 3daysofdesign the first opportunity to experience the limited-edition Artek + Marimekko collection ahead of its launch in September. The collaboration is part of Artek’s 90th anniversary celebrations, during which the company is collaborating with like-minded creative partners to present a series of special edition collections.

The Artek + Marimekko collection features a selection of Aalto furniture that merges Marimekko’s art of printmaking with Artek’s technology of wood bending. The collection explores how bold recurring patterns, designed by Maija Isola for Marimekko’s architectural “Arkkitehti” series, are interpreted on Alvar Aalto’s birchwood furniture designs. Thematically, it celebrates what unites two iconic Finnish brands: bold and distinct identities that are shaped by architecture, nature, and human-centric pragmatism.

The exhibition at 3daysofdesign was designed together with Finnish designer Linda Bergroth. It showcases the products in a setting that highlights how Artek’s poetic simplicity complements Marimekko’s bold and joyful essence. The exhibition is open to the public throughout the design festival.

The Artek + Marimekko collection launches worldwide from 4 September 2025 onwards.

See photos of the exhibition in the gallery!

Latvian born Vienna-based artist Santa GAÏA Pilens has opened a new exhibition in Menorca, Spain presenting her latest series “Menorca Heritage” — four textile murals — as part of a group show at Tabouret Gallery. The exhibition opened on May 29 and will be on view throughout the summer of 2025.

Known for her distinctive approach to contemporary symbolism and mixed media, Gaïa brings her signature technique — referred to as “contemporary mummies” — to this latest art series. Created by layering raw linen and shellac, these tactile textile murals explore the boundaries between what is visible and concealed, evoking both personal mythology and shared cultural memory.

Developed specifically for her presentation in Menorca, “Menorca Heritage” draws on the island’s rich symbolic landscape, referencing elements such as talayots, navetas, horses, folk legends, and giants. The four large-scale works offer a meditative reflection on the region’s ancestral narratives and ritual spaces.

“This series is a tribute to Menorca’s silent architecture, its ritualistic spaces, and the layered time held within its stones. I wanted to explore the island’s spirit not as a historian, but as a myth weaver,” says Santa GAÏA Pilens.

 

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A post shared by Santa GAÏA Pilens (@gaiapilens)

This also marks Gaïa’s first presentation in Spain and continues her exploration of place, materiality, and ancestral resonance through symbolic abstraction.

Tabouret Gallery is specializing in contemporary and collectible design – from bespoke pieces to very limited editions – Tabouret offers an avant-garde selection of objects, furniture, home decor and tableware. Gallery is curated by Isis-Colombe Combréas.

Visit Santa GAÏA Pilens’ exhibition “Menorca Heritage” at Tabouret Gallery in Menorca, Spain until 15th of September 2025.