I AM A WEAVER
Tue-Fri 14–19, Sat-Sun 12–17
Exhibition opening Jan 30th, 6pm-8pm
Aoi Yoshizawa’s exhibition presents a series of loom installations and sculptural works that explore the traditional practice of hand-weaving, reinterpreted through a contemporary lens. The exhibition brings together works from her current projects I AM A WEAVER and Weaver’s Landscapes; focusing on the tools, processes, and physical experiences surrounding the act of weaving. The loom installations incorporate ancient weaving methods transformed into self-designed, handmade tools. These installations balance themselves along the gallery space, holding tension within the warps. The sculptural works, on the other hand, resemble looms but do not function as tools. Instead, they capture shifting sceneries that emerge during the act of making, highlighting moments within the process. “When we think about weaving, we usually picture a weaver seated at a loom, feeding the weft into the warp. I would like to present weaving as a far more holistic process with multiple states; guided by specific tools, and distinct physical movements. These are largely unseen, but essential to the practice.” The exhibition reveals the hidden and unspoken aspects of the weaving process, highlighting the potential of a slow, repetitive, and time-intensive craft often overshadowed by the finished work. Rather than focusing solely on woven textiles, Yoshizawa emphasises the experiences, atmospheres and sensations that arise throughout her creative process.
Aoi Yoshizawa is a visual artist based in Helsinki, engaging in experimental approaches to traditional craft techniques within the contemporary textile practice. Her artistic work investigates ancient weaving techniques and reimagines tools in order to test the limits of hand-weaving. She is particularly interested in the repetitive actions, mechanisms, and time-intensive processes inherent to weaving. Since 2018, working in her studio at Harakka Island has been central to her artistic practice. Yoshizawa holds an MA from Aalto University (2015,) and a BFA from the Bergen National Academy of Arts (2011). Yoshizawa’s artistic work has been supported by the Finnish Cultural Foundation and the Arts Promotion Centre Finland.