Mitro Härkönen/Ornamo Art and Design Finland, courtesy Ornamo Magazine
Marianne Huotari crafts delicate ceramic wall rugs and glazed stoneware sculptures using a reimagined version of the traditional Finnish textile technique ryijy. "Ryijy" translates to thick cloth, and refers to a method of loom weaving tapestries, often depicting geometric shapes or florals, in colors traditionally sourced from plant dyes. Through a care-intensive process of craftsmanship, Huotari sculpts hundreds of oblong ceramic beads and petals by hand before sewing them onto a metal frame with wire. The beads layer and bubble at will, similar to the woven knots in ryijy. Her color palate mimics that of the original woolen fibers; creams and light greens alongside pinks and muted blues populate her tapestries and free-standing sculptures. The presence of nature and whimsy is a mainstay, whether referentially in titles such as Garden Plot, or representationally in the shape of small adorning flowers.
Mitro Härkönen/Ornamo Art and Design Finland, courtesy Ornamo Magazine
Huotari’s slow and hands-on process allows her to pause the rapidity of daily life and find a meditative rhythm in the act of creating. Due to the laborious nature of each work, her stamina for a piece must carry on for weeks to months at a time. She approaches each item she creates with tenderness, whether it be a bead passing through her fingers or a wall hanging requiring countless hours of stitching. Her final forms exude a warm consciousness and feeling of delight, much like the artist herself.
Huotari lives and works in Helsinki, where she is a member of the Arabia Art Department Society. Her work has been shown widely in Finland, as well as throughout Europe, Asia, and the United States. Her collection Väre was made in collaboration with the Finnish National Museum. Huotari serves as the Creative Director for Helsinki-based design and rug company Finarte. In 2022, Huotari was shortlisted for the Loewe Craft Prize and her work was exhibited at the Seoul Museum of Craft Arts.
MARIANNE HUOTARI
b. 1986, Finland
EDUCATION
2014 Master of Arts, Aalto University, School of Arts, Design and Architecture, Finland
2009 Bachelor of Design (BA), Savonia University of Applied Sciences, Kuopio Academy of
Design, Finland
2008 University of Huddersfield, Exchange Studies, UK
2005 Mikkelin Lyseon Lukio, Matriculation Examination, Finland
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2022 Hiljaiselo, Doinel, Tokyo, Japan
2021 Kukkatori, Doinel, Tokyo, Japan
2020 Kasvukausi, Konst & Form, Sipoo, Finland
2019 ORANGERIA – The Ceramic Garden of Infinite Summer, MUSTAKIVI, Matsuyama, Japan
2018 Kotiseutu – the Spirit of Roots, Spiral, Tokyo, Japan
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2024 Paratiisi (Paradise), Kuopio Art Museum, Kuopio, Finland
2023 Clay Protagonists, Rvnhus, Kolding, Denmark
Narrative Threads, Scandinavia House, New York, NY
Northern Latitude 60.20890: Arabia Art Department Society’s 20th anniversary exhibition,
Iittala & Arabia Design Centre, Helsinki, Finland
Atelier Life, Hvitträsk National Museum of Finland, Kirkkonummi, Finland
Strange Friends, Make Hauser & Wirth, London, United Kingdom
2022 Recent Works by Veera Kulju, Marianne Huotari, Hanne G., HB381, New York, NY
Loewe Foundation Craft Prize, Seoul Museum, Seoul, South Korea
Next of Europe, Homo Faber, Michelangelo Foundation, Venice, Italy
2021 Saviseremonia, MUJI, Helsinki, Finland
Here, There and Everywhere, Hiljaiselo, Doinel, Tokyo, Japan
Seilunmaisema, Glasshouse, Helsinki, Finland
Kantava maa – Solid Ground, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland
The International Ceramic Festival—MINO, Gifu, Japan
Pinta, Purnu, Orivesi, Finland
On the Edge – Äärellä, Rovaniemi Art Museum, Finland
Growth, OHO Galleria, Helsinki, Finland
2020 Wall Art from Finland, Doinel, Tokyo, Japan
Sato – savenkorjuun aika, MUJI, Helsinki, Finland
HDW: Stadium Exhibition, Helsinki, Finland
Matkalla, Kulttuuihalli, Helsinki, Finland
2019 Gifts from Finland, SPIRAL, Tokyo, Japan
Joulun Harsomaa, Himmelblau, Tampere, Finland
Vieno – hiljainen harmonia, Vellikello Gallery, Järvenpää, Finland
Paratiisin salaisuus, Iittala & Arabia Design Center, Helsinki, Finland
2018 What the Hel from Finland, Vancouver, Canada
Pistot, Craft Corner, Helsinki, Finland
2017 Signals, Habitare, Helsinki, Finland
Cheongju International Craft Biennale, Cheongju, South Korea
Finland 100 – Now and Then, Beirut, Lebanon
Käsityön äärellä – elävä käsityökulttuuri, Craft Corner, Helsinki, Finland
2016 Yhes, Lokal, Helsinki, Finland
Pinnalla touring exhibition, Jyväskylä, Kokkola, Helsinki, and Punkaharju, Finland
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
EMMA Espoo Museum of Modern Art
Finnish State Art Collection
AWARDS AND GRANTS
2024 Taito-Finlandia Award, Finland
2024 NYCxDESIGN Award, New York, NY
2022 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize, Finalist, Spain
2021 Officine Saffi Award 4, Residence Prize, Italy
2015 Ryijypalvelu Oy Textile Tapestry Competition, First Prize, Finland
2013 Poukama Design Competition, Finland
PUBLIC COMMISSIONS
2022 Ja Niin Mina Kukoistan, Ministry of Education and Culture, The Finnish State Art
Collection
2019 Suven Sulot, Lapuan Kankurit Store, Tokyo, Japan
Yunnan, Yunnan Restaurant, Jewel Changi Airport, Singapore
2018 Colored Landscapes, Kyo-Ondokoro Inn, Kyoto, Japan
