Friday Flashbacks- The outside

A reader recently emailed me about Silja's work.  I clicked the link to be pleasantly reminded of this wonderful and whimsical work. I myself have been playing with thoughts of working on textiles as much as "with" textiles so it was a wonderful reminder for me. Enjoy this post from back in July 2010.


I have had ideas to work on rugs or create rugs in the past but have never quite worked it out...so when seeing the amazing textile work of Finnish artist Silja Puranen I was super excited.... ( I love this first image the colors of the rug with the posture and expression of the figure, awesome)


Most of her works are a combination of fabric painting and photo transfer with a touch of embroidery. Her new works are done on patterned rugs- many of the oriental design... and the patterning and scale of the rug in combination with her images is very cool.


But, I can't help but wonder how conceptually the rug adds to the work... sometimes it seems like an arbitrary choice as a canvas- and though it works visually... a rug seems like such a specific choice as a viewer I need it to mean something? I.E. we walk on it, it gets dirty, it lies on the floor, etc....


I very much enjoy that through her process that the figures though very realized have a transparency that leaves the pattern of the rug or blanket showing.


In her statement she discusses the use of the found materials but never specifically how this adds to the content of the work or the specific choice of the rug. I would love to have a cup of coffee and talk about her work with her.

Her brief statement begins:

The focus of my works is in the unforeseen process of life and the contrast between reality and the commonly accepted ideals in life. What do we (or others) expect our life to be and what are the chances of those who do not meet the norms? What happens when we lose control?

To me her work references the circus and life of the outsider- less someone losing control and more of someone who chooses to not be controlled.
See more of her incredible work here.