Our Dreams Will Save Us!

Collaborative collection Laura Annala X Uhana is a tribute to women who choose to live life on their own terms. It is inspired by a certain kind of courage — the courage to trust your own voice, follow your instincts and take the path that feels truly yours. Dreams become a compass. Not a destination, but a quiet force that keeps us moving towards something that feels right.

At the heart of the collection are Annala’s paintings, the women who inhabit them, and the stories they carry.

“This collection is inspired by women whose power does not come from external validation, but from believing in who they are. From the courage to step beyond the roles, expectations and limitations others have placed upon them. Dreams keep us moving, even when the world tries to make us smaller, quieter or easier to control. And sometimes, even when our own minds try to hold us back.” - Laura Annala

The greatest revolution begins in the moment a woman decides she will no longer make herself smaller — not for anyone, not for another day. It begins with the steps that feel like her own.
And these steps become part of a story passed from one generation to the next. Because when you dare to choose freedom for yourself, you create space for others to do the same — for the women who came before us, and for those who are yet to come.

Let your compass lead you in the right direction.

Featured artwork

“Stay Still”
She is the one who can see both where she has been and where she is going. She stands quietly on the edge of change, already knowing deep down that she will move forward alone. She draws the line, turns towards herself, and chooses a life that is entirely her own.
She is afraid to take the first step.
But the thought of never taking it scares her even more.
— Laura Annala

“Eloped”
She is the one who has escaped the expectations placed upon her. She ran — bravely, heart pounding — away from what religion, parents, society and friends expected of her. Away from all the ways the world tried to shape her into a box she never wanted to squeeze herself into. A life she refuses to settle for — or settle into.
She knows she is so much more.
And she will not let anyone put out that flame.
— Laura Annala

“Grounded”
She has already lived many lives, and this one is still very much unfinished. Yet through it all, her step has remained steady and her heart calm. Perhaps one day she will take off the heavy coat and scarf and continue on her way. But not yet. For now, she remains rooted in the land. She understands its value, and the importance of caring for it. And even though things could have been different, she knows that choosing to stay was her own choice. This work has carried me through many chapters of my own life. But it is dedicated to Jenna, and to all those who care for our lands and forests.
— Laura Annala

"Spell for Happiness"
Generation after generation, women have carried secrets and hopes. What connects them is an unyielding strength and the quiet continuity of life. Spell for Happiness is a work about wishes, incantations and the mischievous secret society of womanhood.
Spell for Happiness is part of Shells & Spells, an exhibition in which Laura Annala explores the ways women throughout history have searched for answers and tried to conjure what lies ahead. Fortune tellers, Tarot readings, horoscopes — rituals of hope, filled with visions of what might come and the desire to manifest something better into existence.

-Laura Annala