Kaisa Leka
Encyclopedia
Kaisa Maria Leka is a Finnish
comic artist and politician
from Porvoo
. Central themes in Leka's autobiographical
comics are disability
, politics
and spiritual searching. Her comics figures are naïvistically simple animal
s, the most important of which is a mouse
, representing Kaisa herself.
, Southern Finland. She lived there until the age of 18, when she moved to Porvoo
, a small town on the coast. Leka lived in Porvoo
since, and enjoies walks in the scenic 16th century old town and quiet evenings at home, cooking vegetarian food with my husband and friends. Most of the time she can found sitting in the park and eating ice cream whenever it's warm enough and most people recognize Leka by her prosthetic feet, as she is a double below knee amputee.
In 2002, both of Kaisa Leka's legs had to be amputated below the knees, due to a severe malformation. After receiving her prosthesis and learning to walk again, Leka was done three big bike trips with her husband, they have cycled to the Arctic Ocean
, Mediterranean Sea
and around Iceland
. Leka states, "With my old bones would these trips never have happened, and I want everyone to see my prosthesis because I feel they are nothing to be ashamed of!"
. For the last five years Leka has combined working and studying, getting new sources of inspiration at school and practical skills at work.
Leka is a fairly typical snippet workers on Culture: she holds series of workshops, cartoons and illustrations for several magazines, doing my own comic books, and also graphic design, primarily newspaper format. For my education, I am medianom, I have to study graphic design and cartooning in Lahti Muotoiluinstituutti and Porvoo Crafts and industrial school
in the 2007 Finnish parliament
elections in the constituency of Uusimaa
. As a politician, Leka has spoken in favour of culture
and health care
.
community. Leka's religious interests raised some attention during a tour in France
in autumn 2006, because their religion has been separated from state and Hare Krishna defined as a community to be followed.
. Along with complete persional works Leka, has worked for several magazines and done different smaller projects for a variety of clients. Leka also regularly teaches comics courses and workshops in many different schools.
s. In 2004 Leka published Your name is Krishangi, a travel diary from our honeymoon that took an unexpected turn when we went to visit a Hindu monastic in the California redwoods. A small comic in two parts named Two stories was published in 2005, and describes a week she spent home alone while her husband was in Ukraine - from both Leka's husbands point of view and Leka's point of view.
Leka's comics have also been published in several Finnish magazines, daily newspapers as well as weekly and monthly magazines. The themes are the same even though the format varies: spirituality, disability and politics. Leka's comics have been included in several group exhibitions in Finland
, and also at the book fair in Moscow, Russia.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
comic artist and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
from Porvoo
Porvoo
Porvoo is a city and a municipality situated on the southern coast of Finland approximately east of Helsinki. Porvoo is one of the six medieval towns in Finland, first mentioned as a city in texts from 14th century...
. Central themes in Leka's autobiographical
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
comics are disability
Disability
A disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these.Many people would rather be referred to as a person with a disability instead of handicapped...
, politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
and spiritual searching. Her comics figures are naïvistically simple animal
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
s, the most important of which is a mouse
Mouse
A mouse is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse . It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles...
, representing Kaisa herself.
Early life
Kaisa Maria Leka was born on October 25, 1978 in LahtiLahti
Lahti is a city and municipality in Finland.Lahti is the capital of the Päijänne Tavastia region. It is situated on a bay at the southern end of lake Vesijärvi about north-east of the capital Helsinki...
, Southern Finland. She lived there until the age of 18, when she moved to Porvoo
Porvoo
Porvoo is a city and a municipality situated on the southern coast of Finland approximately east of Helsinki. Porvoo is one of the six medieval towns in Finland, first mentioned as a city in texts from 14th century...
, a small town on the coast. Leka lived in Porvoo
Porvoo
Porvoo is a city and a municipality situated on the southern coast of Finland approximately east of Helsinki. Porvoo is one of the six medieval towns in Finland, first mentioned as a city in texts from 14th century...
since, and enjoies walks in the scenic 16th century old town and quiet evenings at home, cooking vegetarian food with my husband and friends. Most of the time she can found sitting in the park and eating ice cream whenever it's warm enough and most people recognize Leka by her prosthetic feet, as she is a double below knee amputee.
In 2002, both of Kaisa Leka's legs had to be amputated below the knees, due to a severe malformation. After receiving her prosthesis and learning to walk again, Leka was done three big bike trips with her husband, they have cycled to the Arctic Ocean
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...
, Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
and around Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
. Leka states, "With my old bones would these trips never have happened, and I want everyone to see my prosthesis because I feel they are nothing to be ashamed of!"
Education
Kaisa Leka has studied arts, graphic design and comics in the Arts and Crafts college of Porvoo and Lahti PolytechnincLahti University of Applied Sciences
Lahti University of Applied Sciences is an institution of higher professional education, formerly known as Lahti Polytechnic in Lahti, Finland. Lahti University of Applied Sciences is a large, multidisciplinary higher education institution...
. For the last five years Leka has combined working and studying, getting new sources of inspiration at school and practical skills at work.
Leka is a fairly typical snippet workers on Culture: she holds series of workshops, cartoons and illustrations for several magazines, doing my own comic books, and also graphic design, primarily newspaper format. For my education, I am medianom, I have to study graphic design and cartooning in Lahti Muotoiluinstituutti and Porvoo Crafts and industrial school
Politics
Leka became really interested in politics in 2004 when she was asked by the Porvoo Green to stand in municipal elections. Leka have been with the City Council since 2005 and is a deputy member of the council board. She is deputy chairman of the Green League of Porvoo and the Youth and Student Organisation of the Green League of Porvoo, and a candidate of the Green LeagueGreen League
The Green League is a centrist green liberal political party in Finland. It has ten seats in the Finnish Parliament and two in the European Parliament. The current chairperson is Ville Niinistö....
in the 2007 Finnish parliament
Parliament of Finland
The Eduskunta , is the parliament of Finland. The unicameral parliament has 200 members and meets in the Parliament House in Helsinki. The latest election to the parliament took place on April 17, 2011.- Constitution :...
elections in the constituency of Uusimaa
Uusimaa
Uusimaa, or Nyland in Swedish, is a region in Finland. It borders the regions Finland Proper, Tavastia Proper, Päijänne Tavastia and Kymenlaakso...
. As a politician, Leka has spoken in favour of culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
and health care
Health care
Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...
.
Movements
Leka is a member of the Sri Caitanya Sangha movement, which is part of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, like the Hare KrishnaInternational Society for Krishna Consciousness
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness , known colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement, is a Gaudiya Vaishnava religious organization. It was founded in 1966 in New York City by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada...
community. Leka's religious interests raised some attention during a tour in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in autumn 2006, because their religion has been separated from state and Hare Krishna defined as a community to be followed.
Current career as an artist
Kaisa Leka, works with graphic design as well as comics, mostly layout. Most recently Leka had completed the layout for a vegetarian cookbook put together by the Green party's presidential candidate for the 2006 election. Leka has also written a small book about India published by the Helsinki City Art MuseumHelsinki City Art Museum
Helsinki City Art Museum or Helsinki Art Museum is an art museum in Helsinki, Finland. It has exhibitions in two main locations: Meilahti Art Museum in Meilahti, near Tamminiemi, and the Tennis Palace Art Museum near the city centre. The museum also manages the Kluuvi Gallery.-External Links:***...
. Along with complete persional works Leka, has worked for several magazines and done different smaller projects for a variety of clients. Leka also regularly teaches comics courses and workshops in many different schools.
Publications
Leka has published several autobiographical comic books, the largest being the 60-page I am not these feet from 2003, a diary about learning to walk again after her amputationAmputation
Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for...
s. In 2004 Leka published Your name is Krishangi, a travel diary from our honeymoon that took an unexpected turn when we went to visit a Hindu monastic in the California redwoods. A small comic in two parts named Two stories was published in 2005, and describes a week she spent home alone while her husband was in Ukraine - from both Leka's husbands point of view and Leka's point of view.
Leka's comics have also been published in several Finnish magazines, daily newspapers as well as weekly and monthly magazines. The themes are the same even though the format varies: spirituality, disability and politics. Leka's comics have been included in several group exhibitions in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, and also at the book fair in Moscow, Russia.
Filmography
In 2004 as part of her graduate studies at Kemi-Tornio polytechnic she worked on a short 26min documentary film entitled Koko nainen - Whole woman It was awarded best student documentary film in one of the biggest short film festivals in Finland. Koko nainen - Whole woman is a documentary portrait about Kaisa Leka herself, who openly discusses her relationship to her body and the meaning of corporality. After a childhood disrupted by agonising medical procedures, Kaisa had both legs amputated beneath the knee. Now she only wears skirts, drawing attention to the artificial legs that are her statement of identity. She doesn’t want to hide her disability but rather show it with pride. How is it to be a disabled woman in a society obsessed with appearances?| Title | Produced by | Directed by | Format | Length | Year | Country | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Koko nainen (Whole Woman) | Marika Väisänen | Marika Väisänen | 24 min | 2004 | Finland | 2005 Hannover Film Festival - Best Student Documentary | |