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I explore nature on foot, especially in overgrown wastelands. Those places that people often see as ugly or useless. On my walks, I learn to identify plants, their habitats, and the butterflies and insects that thrive among them.
In my work, I reflect on the uncertain nature of life. The observations I make in nature are mirrored by a sense of responsibility and awareness of our human impact. I am interested in the relationships between things—in how to express both human existence as part of the cycle of life and the inevitability of impermanence.
This exhibition features prints, small paintings, and tapestries woven on a loom. What fascinates me about weaving is how the constructed structure determines the form of the textile, yet leaves the visual pattern to emerge freely through color. This closely resembles the printmaking techniques I use, where the image is formed by the chosen matrix. There is also something similar in the slow, meditative pace of weaving and the carving of a woodcut. The process sets the rhythm, and it cannot be rushed.
My work has been supported by the Häme Regional Fund of the Finnish Cultural Foundation.
Anniina Vainionpää (b. 1979) is a visual artist and printmaker living and working in Riihimäki, Finland. She has primarily worked with woodcuts and monotypes since 2004. Vainionpää graduated as a visual artist from the South Karelia Polytechnic in 2003 and earned her MFA from the Academy of Fine Arts in 2018. Her work has been exhibited in numerous shows in Finland and abroad. She is a member of the Association of Finnish Printmakers, the Finnish Woodcut Artists Society, the Pieksämäki Visual Arts Society, the Hyvinkää Artists’ Association, and Ars-Häme. Her works are included in the collections of the Finnish State, HUS (Helsinki University Hospital), and the art museums of Hyvinkää, Hämeenlinna, and Jyväskylä.