She graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts, Helsinki in 2005 and also in Art History at the University of Helsinki. She is now finishing her DFA thesis at the Academy of Fine Arts of Uniarts Helsinki with the title Painting as Research. Instead of a theoretical approach, she wants to illuminate the position of an artist in the middle of the creation process – the painter’s voice in the field of contemporary painting. Paavilainen also teaches at the Academy of Fine Arts. Her solo shows include The Screen, Photographic gallery Hippolyte, Helsinki (2014), Paintings from the Tunnel, Galerie Forsblom, Helsinki (2010), New Paintings, Galleria UPP, Venice, Italy (2009) and Debut exhibition, Forsblom Projects, Helsinki (2007). She has works in the following Finnish public collections: Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art, EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art and Tampere Art Museum.