Merja Nieminen
Basic information
b. 1972
Sculptor
Residence: Tammisaari
Contact information
Phone number: 0503306114
Email: merjan2244@gmail.com
Artist’s Statement
I am a visual artist working at the intersection of sculpture, installation, and material exploration, primarily with wood-fired porcelain and stoneware. My works examine the fragility of architecture, material memory, and the transient nature of structures.
I became an artist out of a desire to understand material, space, and their relationship to time. My background in installation art and coding has shaped my approach to ceramics, blending experimental processes with technical precision, while leaving room for chance.
A central theme in my practice is 'fragile architecture,' which I explore through wood-fired techniques. Inspired by architectural forms, particularly Japanese temple structures, shelters, and wooden frameworks, I harness the intense heat of firing to guide controlled collapses in my pieces. The resulting forms—draped surfaces, beam-like structures, and sheet-like textures reminiscent of metal—emerge from the interplay of gravity and melting material.
The dialogue between material and chance is at the heart of my practice. Wood-firing is an integral part of my process, revealing the passage of time through the interaction of heat and clay. The partial collapse of my sculptures is not an end, but a beginning—a moment where form transforms and new possibilities emerge. I strive to express how incompleteness, change, and controlled unpredictability can evoke powerful, delicate narratives.
I became an artist out of a desire to understand material, space, and their relationship to time. My background in installation art and coding has shaped my approach to ceramics, blending experimental processes with technical precision, while leaving room for chance.
A central theme in my practice is 'fragile architecture,' which I explore through wood-fired techniques. Inspired by architectural forms, particularly Japanese temple structures, shelters, and wooden frameworks, I harness the intense heat of firing to guide controlled collapses in my pieces. The resulting forms—draped surfaces, beam-like structures, and sheet-like textures reminiscent of metal—emerge from the interplay of gravity and melting material.
The dialogue between material and chance is at the heart of my practice. Wood-firing is an integral part of my process, revealing the passage of time through the interaction of heat and clay. The partial collapse of my sculptures is not an end, but a beginning—a moment where form transforms and new possibilities emerge. I strive to express how incompleteness, change, and controlled unpredictability can evoke powerful, delicate narratives.
