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Guest of Honour

Berneri

We are pleased to announce our Guest of Honour for 2023: the bright and brilliant Berneri.

A delightful Finnish artist, Berneri is non-binary and respectfully asks that they be referred to as they/them.

From humble beginnings online in an RPG forum in 2006 to Dealer's Den art experiments in 2016,
Berneri's presence has grown considerably. 

Berneri says that being a member of the RPG forum, they took great inspiration from the artwork of fellow members
and they ended up drawing their own furry art before they even realised that being furry was a thing. In 2016 as their
presence grew, Berneri had set up their own stall at a furry convention and developed their art styles through
experimentation. Selling their art to a captive audience, the Dealer's Den gave Berneri precisely the platform
needed to cultivate their range of styles.

In the turn of 2017-2018 they started their famous comic strip Koirakoira.
(Fun fact: in Finnish, “koira” means “dog” so “koirakoira” is simply “dogdog”!)

In the very beginning, Koirakoira started life with four legs as all dogs do, but they lost two legs when
their popularity blossomed. What began as a simple school doodle of a cynical dog ballooned onto
Twitter – and once online, became unstoppable. From online Berneri coaxed their colourful creation
onto the printed page through a massive effort of will and passion. 

It is certainly no small feat – being a comic artist involves much more than the lines and colouration of the artwork itself.
There is also the writing, script editing, story design and marketing, all being handled by one person in their spare time,
although Berneri says that they hope to eventually turn their comic and their art into a full-time career.

Berneri's artwork extends beyond the pages of Koirakoira. Their independent work has a deep intricacy and layering of design that
complement the strong lines and bold colours to create work that is both striking and nuanced. It is a beautiful exercise in
weaving where each detail is collectively formed to create a piece of art which is far greater than the sum of its parts. 

We are not just welcoming Berneri to NordicFuzzCon so much as we are welcoming them back, for they have attended twice
before: in 2018 and 2019. They say that they loved their time with us at the old hotel and cannot wait to see the new one.
We hope that all of you will share in their delight at the new experiences that 2023 has to offer. 

NordicFuzzCon welcomes Berneri back warmly and we hope that your stay with us will be a most enjoyable one.

For more on Berneri, please follow these links!

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BerneriART/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/berneri/
Comic: https://twitter.com/koirakoirana/
Store: https://ursalutra.storenvy.com/

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Northern Light

Johanna Tarkela

NordicFuzzCon has reawakened from a long hibernation. During the extended winter, we
have been guided by the artwork and talents of our Northern Lights.

This year, we are very pleased to play host to the lovely and talented Johanna Tarkela!
Commonly known as Johis, some furries among us may be familiar with her work on
Deviantart, under her alternative username Lhuin.

Uniquely among our Northern Lights, Johis hails from Finland. We are very excited to have
her and we are sure you will be too, as she has been a regular attendee of NFC since 2017
and may be a fun and familiar face to many attendees.

She says that we are her 'home con', partly because it's Nordic, like her and she loves the
atmosphere and the people who attend. She especially loves the snack exchange which she
says she always joins in with when it is available. She says that so many of the guests are
people that she has admired for a long time, and that NFC gives her the chance to meet
them and attend their panels.

Johis moved to the UK in 2012 to study illustration and has been a freelancing fur since
2015. Her career began by taking commissions, both in furry art and non-furry pet
portraiture; but has since taken off to include major institutions such as the Smithsonian
Museum, the publishing house Harper Collins, and Sanoma, Finland's largest media group.

Art that mimics the fine detail and realism of photographs whilst capturing the more ethereal
essence of the subject is a rare gift. Johis imbibes her artwork with a timeless quality, which
has led her to work for a very diverse range of people and corporations.

But whilst her artistic merits stand out for themselves, fans of trivia might like to know that in
addition to the digital paint brush, Johis once picked up the needle & thread and
experimented in making fursuits.

Transitioning from your hobby into a full-time career isn't an easy choice to make for
everybody, but Johis has never lost her passion for her art and still loves to paint outside of
her professional work. She loves her freelance career as it allows her the freedom to work
anywhere in the world, which means plenty of time to visit her family whenever she pleases.

We can confidently say that as a long-standing member of our big furry family,
NordicFuzzCon is delighted to welcome Johis - and you, our dear attendees – back to
Malmö for 2023.

For more on Johis, please follow these links!
Twitter: https://twitter.com/johisart
DeviantArt: https://www.deviantart.com/lhuin
ArtStation: https://www.artstation.com/jtarkela
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lhuin