Works by renowned textile artist Raija Jokinen exhibited in Häme Castle

Textile artist Raija Jokinen (born 1960) brings old craftsmanship to life in a new way and uses linen fibre as a material in her works.

The intangible, gossamer human figures are a picturesque piece of textile art. Even though the works seem incredibly fragile, they are as durable as oil paintings on linen fabric.

Jokinen merges painting, sculpture, graphics and textiles in her expression. The end result is far from traditional textiles, such as wall rugs.

The technique developed by Jokinen requires careful work on the source material of the work, linen fibre.“I dye the flax fibre as big skeins. I then separate the fibres. The best tool for this is often a dog brush. After that, I kind of draw and paint with fibres,” Jokinen says.

Jokinen does not want to overexplain her works, but hopes that the viewer will find their own emotions and memories in the works. “Instead of a physical form, my works depict forgotten memories and feelings,” Jokinen says.

The exhibition also reminds us of the history of women prisoners in the castle. The female prisoners of Häme Castle manufactured linen textiles for nearly a hundred years starting from the late 19th century. This history is illustrated by objects, tools and clothing that used to belong to the prisoners and are now on loan from the collections of the National Museum of Finland. Approximately 40 works by Jokinen are on display in the exhibition, half of which were created for the exhibition in Häme Castle.

Jokinen, a graduate of the School of Arts, Design and Architecture, has been awarded several prizes in Finland and abroad. In 2020, she was awarded the honour of Textile Artist of the Year and in 2015 the Regional Art Prize of Uusimaa. Works by Jokinen are part of various private and public collections, including the State Art Deposit Collection, the Tampere Art Museum and Västra Götalandsregion in Sweden.

Recollections– Textile Art by Raija Jokinen in Häme Castle 17 May–20 October 2024

Häme Castle opening hours:

• until 31 May Tue–Fri 10–16 and weekends 11–16
• 1 June–31 August daily 10–17
• from 1 September onwards Tue–Fri 10–16 and weekends 11–16, closed Mondays