Mia Damberg
Basic information
b. 1958, Uusikaarlepyy
textileartist
Residence: Vaasa
Contact information
Phone number: +358503536061
Email: miadamberg@hotmail.com
Artist’s Statement
I am a 64-year-old textile artist living in Vaasa, Finland. My training is in textile art and clothing, and I have a great passion for the craft. I work with photography, textile art, textile-and wood sculptures, video and installations. I have spent the past 15 years investigating my main theme – memory and memories – from different perspectives. Curator Anne-Maj Salin in 2021 said: “Every piece is its own creation, but also part of a whole which Damberg processes extensively to find new dimensions and profound meanings. The pieces interact with each other and communicate layered messages.” I have worked exclusively with photography for about 8 years. In the summer of 2019, I started looking for a new textile technique to reclaim the tactile aspects of my work. I also wanted to use materials which would be less harmful to the environment. The textile sculptures are therefore manufactured completely by recycled textiles. Looking back on my career, I keep finding new sides of myself through learning new expressional modalities every 6-7 years. I have not abandoned photography completely, but I combine the photos with textile sculptures to create something unified. I also work with wood and add wooden details to the textile sculptures. I am currently doing both photography and textile sculptures with wooden details.
Theme
My new project The Waltz of Generations examines behaviors that are passed on generationally. My, partly subconscious, way of working makes me transcend my own comfort zone. I am particularly interested in the subconscious and hidden emotions, but I also use elements from art history. Human beings and human emotions are at the heart of my work. For a long time, my pieces have been shaped around memory and memories. I am interested in dysfunctional family relations, and I investigate the emotional world of the child and the ways in which the child experiences the adult world. I challenge the myth of the good parent and the parent’s omnipotence in the child’s life. Identity, shame, guilt, uncertainty and power constellations within the family, have been central themes of my work throughout the years.
In the past few years, a sort of sub-chapter or common thread in my work has emerged - the human relationship with animals and nature, and particularly girls’ relationships with horses, have become increasingly important in my work. The horse is for many, myself included, a spirit animal that opens up for wordless communication. I have immersed myself in this theme of the horse-girl sphere, examining related aspects such as sexuality, safety/uncertainty, acceptance and the circumstances of growing up as a woman. Girls’ relationships to horses and the, often subconscious, mechanisms which provide girls with a sense of safety and acceptance through that, is a theme which will be visible in my future exhibitions.
The Waltz of Generations conveys norms, taboos, power dynamics, misconceptions, confusions and undercurrents of fear which, consciously or subconsciously, are passed down through generations. Will they forever haunt us, can these cycles be broken, and do we comprehend that we can and should break them? What is the force that, consciously or subconsciously, helps us survive? The dialogue, or lack thereof, among individuals, in our communities, in our societies, significantly affect our lives and our social relationships - how can we infuse that with the assurance of nature and wildlife, with the sublime wordless dialogue?
Theme
My new project The Waltz of Generations examines behaviors that are passed on generationally. My, partly subconscious, way of working makes me transcend my own comfort zone. I am particularly interested in the subconscious and hidden emotions, but I also use elements from art history. Human beings and human emotions are at the heart of my work. For a long time, my pieces have been shaped around memory and memories. I am interested in dysfunctional family relations, and I investigate the emotional world of the child and the ways in which the child experiences the adult world. I challenge the myth of the good parent and the parent’s omnipotence in the child’s life. Identity, shame, guilt, uncertainty and power constellations within the family, have been central themes of my work throughout the years.
In the past few years, a sort of sub-chapter or common thread in my work has emerged - the human relationship with animals and nature, and particularly girls’ relationships with horses, have become increasingly important in my work. The horse is for many, myself included, a spirit animal that opens up for wordless communication. I have immersed myself in this theme of the horse-girl sphere, examining related aspects such as sexuality, safety/uncertainty, acceptance and the circumstances of growing up as a woman. Girls’ relationships to horses and the, often subconscious, mechanisms which provide girls with a sense of safety and acceptance through that, is a theme which will be visible in my future exhibitions.
The Waltz of Generations conveys norms, taboos, power dynamics, misconceptions, confusions and undercurrents of fear which, consciously or subconsciously, are passed down through generations. Will they forever haunt us, can these cycles be broken, and do we comprehend that we can and should break them? What is the force that, consciously or subconsciously, helps us survive? The dialogue, or lack thereof, among individuals, in our communities, in our societies, significantly affect our lives and our social relationships - how can we infuse that with the assurance of nature and wildlife, with the sublime wordless dialogue?
