Satu Rautiainen’s exhibition “I am a fountain” features textile works and paintings created between 2020 and 2022. Rautiainen has used the punch needle technique, digital printing and jacquard weaving. Some of the works have been attached to furniture and are thematically linked to ready-made art. The main emphasis is on watercolor and oil paintings and the dialogue between recurring patterns.
Satu Rautiainen has worked on her “Village Bohemian” installation series, which examines the interfaces between handicrafts, applied art and visual arts, since 2018. The previous exhibitions have been on display at the Finnish Painters’ Union gallery in Helsinki (“Paint in a Room”, 2018), at the Turku Art Museum’s Studio (“Village Bohemian / Kyläboheemi”, 2020) and at Galleria Vanha Kappalaisentalo (“The House of Muse,” 2021).
The fourth part, “I Am a Fountain”, also deals with social exclusion, marginalization and the boundary between madness and sanity. There is an alter ego living inside the installation, and it is building its own world around oneself. The character has been inspired by independent artists, such as textile artist Dora Jung, ITE artist Enni Id and lifestyle activist Kati Sinenmaa. The mysterious Renaissance artist Hieronymus Bosch and his visual world have also provided inspiration for the works.
The artist’s work has been supported by the Arts Promotion Centre Finland.
Satu Rautiainen (b. 1982) graduated from the Department of Painting at the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts in 2008. Since graduation, she has had solo exhibitions and taken part in group exhibitions in both Finland and abroad. In addition to her own artistic work, she has been an active member of various artist-run groups, including Galleria Huuto since 2009.
As part of her artistic work, Rautiainen studies textile techniques and combines paintings with related textiles in her works. Individual paintings and the fabrics based on them create complex spatial entities.
The artist’s works are included in many collections, including those of the Finnish state, the Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation, the Saastamoinen Foundation, Kiasma, Paulo, Espoo Museum of Modern Art EMMA, the Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital District (HUS) and Helsinki Art Museum. She lives and works in Helsinki. Further information: www.saturautiainen.com
