HEINI RIITAHUHTA

Heini Riitahuhta (Finnish, b. 1975) is an artist and designer living and working in Helsinki, Finland. Taking inspiration from the natural world as well as from traditional Finnish folk crafts such as embroidery and cross-stitch, Riitahuhta makes detailed ceramic mosaic works. When examined individually, each of the hexagonal tiles in her works contains its own abstract cosmos, while from a distance, each plays a small role in the intricate overall composition, an expanding universe growing piece by piece. Her works are also a personal testament to childhood memories spent in her grandmother’s garden surrounded by the scent of the earth and the perfume of flowers.

Riitahuhta studied at the ceramics and glass department of the University of Art and Design in Helsinki and Sint-Lucas Visual Art Institute in Ghent before earning her Master of Arts in 2002 in Taiki, Japan. During the same year, she received an honorable mention in Mino, Japan. Riitahuhta was a founding member of the Arabia Art Department Association and its first president. Riitahuhta’s work has been exhibited widely internationally.