// interview with Arif Samaletdin
Arif Samaletdin is an entrepreneur, business developer and builder, as well as collector or art. He collaborates with a diverse range
of companies and brands, spanning industries from e-commerce to mental health, applying innovation and vision to each project. As
a loving family man, his partner (and artist) Dora Dalia Cheffi, their daughter, and himself live a vibrant creative life between Helsinki
and Tunis. In the process of developing this article series, Arif kindly opened the doors to their home in Punavuori, Helsinki, and
introduced his growing art collection. In this interview, we’ll learn more about Arif’s journey into collecting art, the stories behind
some of the artworks and how everything found its place in their Helsinki home.
Young Collectors is a series of interviews published on the ArtPod website and Instagram, conducted by Isabella Chydenius, a member of the ArtPod collective. The
interviews highlight personal stories around art collecting among younger art collectors in Finland, and abroad. Finland (ind. 1917), a relatively young nation consisting mostly of
forest, small villages, and farmers before the 1700s, does not hold a strong cultural history of collecting art in comparison with countries like France or Italy where a culture of
collecting art dates back to the Renaissance (1300s), and before. However, since the 1700s and into the contemporary, there is an ever-developing heritage of Finnish art, and
a multitude of professional Finnish artists and international artists living in Finland, but only small numbers of art collectors. This article series aims to bring forward practical
tools on how to start collecting art, of collecting and having art at home as a means to connect cultural heritage to our everyday life, as well as interesting and inspiring
stories and connections that arise in the process.
IC: Looking around your apartment, one could guess that you’ve been interested in art for quite some time. Do you remember any specific connection to art since you were young, where you gained this interest, and when you started collecting art yourself?
AS: It’s great that it might seem like I’ve been collecting for a long time, but it all happened in quite a short time frame compared to
many other collectors. However, the interest was long time coming. My grandfather used to paint quite often at home, although he
experienced his painting more as a hobby than a profession. Hobby or not, my grandmother would hang his work around at their home
and his paintings are my first recollection of being interested in art. The first artwork that I bought was by a friend of mine, a self-portrait
by Saara Salama around 2012. It’s quite funny, I bought it because she made a joke about me being one of her few friends with a
successful career, and therefore I should be a patron of the arts. I bought the piece but then had a bit of a pause before I bought the
second piece, which is this large work by Jenni Hiltunen.
IC: This massive work was your second art purchase ever! That’s an ambitious start, but I love that you had the courage to commit to
something of this scale so quickly. What was the process behind the purchase?
AS: I bought it because I suddenly had this huge wall completely empty since my ex and I separated, and the works that used to be on
this wall, left with her. Then one evening I found myself yet again at one of Galerie Forsblom’s openings. I had no intention of buying
anything that evening, but I’m quite spontaneous, and as I had come to not only love art in galleries and museum but now also at home,
I took this big leap. This was one of the biggest paintings in the exhibition, but I ended up reserving another slightly smaller and more
colourful work. However, later that night I had a dream about the big painting, so when I woke up, I called Marjatta at the gallery and
asked her to visit me at home and check if she thought the bigger painting would fit this wall. She said it would fit perfectly and here
it is, welcoming me every day.
AS: If I remember correctly, I started collecting around early 2020, but even until today, the year of 2021 was when I bought most artworks in a short amount of time. I never really planned on becoming an art collector in that sense, it kind of just happened. The next work I bought is this piece opposite the Jenni Hiltunen, titled Naomi by Linda Linko. I landed on a piece by Linda as I’ve followed her career as a illustrator for quite some time and loved her paintings when she started focusing on painting. This one specifically spoke to me because of her use of colours.
Clockwise from top left:
Linda Linko, Jussi Goman and Dora Dalia Cheffi
AS: Yes! This is a very special piece made by my partner Dora Dalia Cheffi. She made it for me as a surprise!
Arif brushing teeth, by Dora Dalia Cheffi
IC: At this point I must mention the meme “support the arts, date an artist”! Is there an art collecting related story to how you met?
AS: Yes, there is! I had been following her and her career on Instagram for a while and was genuinely trying to contact her to discuss
buying an artwork, but at first, she never got back to me. Later I found out that she’s got quite a lot of guys sliding into her dm’s with
ulterior motives, so I found it fair that perhaps she thought I was one of those too. About a month later, she responded and as we were
both heading to Flow Festival, we arranged to link up there for a preliminary chat. I guess she wanted to scope me out to see if I was
serious. She found out that I was indeed serious about her art, which further down the line developed to taking her seriously as not
just an artist but also an incredible person.
IC: Art truly does bring people together
AC: Indeed! Then the next piece leading up from Dora and Linda Linko is by Jussi Goman. I have two works by him, the second one is
in the bedroom. I feel so lucky to have two of his works as his work really speaks to me in terms of colour and playful composition. The
piece here (points to under the stairs) is a portrait by Konsta Koivisto who is a visual artist and musician. I recently found out what a
multi-talented person he is, as he’s in a band called Cyril Awakening and on top of it has a black belt in Taekwondo!
Above: painting by Jussi Goman
Left: painting by Jussi Goman and Konsta Koivisto
AC: Next we have this lithography by Riiko Sakkinen that I got from a collector’s club that I’m part of. I actually have 3 pieces by him and must admit that I’ve bought the two other works via what’s app even though they are massive… Without ever seeing them live! They are unfortunately not here at the apartment as they are 2,40 x 2,40 and 2 x 3,40 meters large, so they’re stored in an art storage. The two pieces, for personal reasons, give me both anxiety and motivation at the same time as they remind me of a challenging time in my life. Yet, in retrospect, I see them as the start of a growing period which has led me to the happy strong person that I am today.
AC: Then next we have a work by Penni Vasama. In total I have 5 works by her, 3 small works that I’ve lent to someone, as well as the
bigger piece in the bedroom. As you can see there’s quite a strong theme of people and portraits. Mainly, I have work by female artists,
except for Konsta and Riiko. Another work that I wanted to mention even though unfortunately it’s not currently here, but I’m looking
forward to curating into our home, is an artwork by the Ukrainian artist Lilly Pavlova.
Painting by Penni Vasama.
IC: It’s kind of you to lend works, have you ever considered selling any of the artworks you own? Or rather, if you had to choose one
artwork to keep from your collection, which one would you choose?
AS: Oh no!! They are all dear to me in different ways. And as for picking just one, I could never choose just one piece. The businessman
in me would probably choose the most valuable, so Jenni’s piece… or no, maybe Riiko’s pieces that are not here. Although as I don’t see
them every day and I’ve grown attached to Jenni’s piece, perhaps it would be an easier transition to sell them, if I knew they are going
to a great home.
Painting by Konsta Koivisto.
AS: Yes, I do. Although I try to go quite selectively because I’m such an impulsive person, and at least for now, I want to focus on curating the works I have into this home before getting new ones. But yes, I’m always curious what else is out there
IC: Do you have any advice for people who would like to start collecting art?
AS: I don’t know if I would recommend starting as big as I did haha! A great starting point would be to look into up and coming or younger artists. They aren’t often yet represented by a gallery and therefore their prices are lower. I think Instagram is a great tool to explore artists, as you can see some of their visual artistic history in the feed, as well as read about them if they have websites and other linked interviews attached to the profile. Once you start following an artist or like different artists work, the Instagram algorithms will pick that up and push more related content to you. Other than online-life,
I recommend going to smaller galleries around the town you live in or when travelling, as well as visiting your local art academy
whether you know someone who studies there or not. In Helsinki I follow the events of Kuvataide Akatemia (The Academy of Fine Arts)
and Aalto. I’m not sure what the biggest hinder is for people, what keeps people away from art as there’s plenty of affordable art around,
it really isn’t just for wealthy people. Even if someone can’t buy art, seeing and interacting with art is a great way to develop a personal
visual aesthetic and style. I wish people were more in tune with what they like visually because it feeds into so many aspects of life.
AS: Yes, one hundred percent, I still often feel intimidated! It’s a shame that so many galleries, both architecturally and in terms of staff often
can feel quite cold and not very easily approachable. Understandably,
the exhibition is curated for the art to come across in the best way, but I wonder if there’s an approach that could connect the visitor closer to
the art in a different way. Lastly, something that I’ve learnt and find interesting; before I’ve met Dora or started collecting art, I never really understood how conservative the business side of the art world is.
It’s understandable that the business side is a risk for the gallery owner and director, as it comes with the responsibility of paying for the gallery rent, employee’s salaries, their artists etc, but it surprised me how many art collectors, especially the ones who buy from more established mega galleries, are much more conservative and careful in their thinking and buying than what I expected. In this way, I see that galleries have quite a big responsibility, as they have access to people with influence, and the opportunity to introduce new ways of thinking. It’s an exciting thought to help more artist’s get paid, but how, when art collecting feels so foreign to so many people, especially in Finland.. Alas, we need new young collectors!
Finally, I want to thank Arif for sharing such fun insights, as well as the great advice. If you want to learn more about Arif, please
follow him at @arifsamaletdin or check out his website www.samaraii.fi.
Complete list of artists included in the collection of Arif Samaletdin: Dora Dalia Cheffi, Jussi Goman, Jenni Hiltunen, Linda Linko,
Konsta Koivisto, Lilly Pavlova, Riiko Sakkinen, Saara Salama and Penni Vasama.
The window display towards the street. Sculptures by COMPANY design by Aamu Song and her husband Johan Olin. Glass vase from Murano.