Emma Peura
Basic information
b. 1988, Kauhava
artist, printmaker
Residence: Helsinki
Artist’s Statement
I am a visual artist who works with experimental printmaking and drawing methods and paper art. I especially work with a printmaking method that I call forest etching. I am interested in the idea of self-sufficiency in the context of making contemporary art. I experiment with pigment making in the field of printmaking. I graduated with an MFA from the Academy of Fine Arts of the University of the Arts Helsinki in 2020. My works are in the collections of Kiasma and Finnish State Art Deposit, to name a few.
Forest Etching is a method I developed in 2018. In traditional etching methods, traces are etched onto the surface of a copper plate by immersing the plate in ferric chloride for several minutes. The imprints are then rubbed with ink and printed on paper with a press. In forest etching, acidic soils corrode the copper plates: I have replaced iron chloride with forest. Hence the name of the technique. I hide copper plates in forests, in places that are meaningful to me. I let the time do it's work. I fetch the plates and print them on paper, like any other intaglio plate.
I am one of the founding members of Helsingin Paperipaja ry. Helsingin Paperipaja is a papermaking workshop and artist studio community located in Roihupelto, Helsinki, Finland. At HPP, we are making high-grade contemporary art by respecting traditional craftmanship. The workshop is maintained by Helsingin Paperipaja ry, an association founded in 2019. The artist members are professionals working in various techniques. What brings them together is their shared love for paper. Helsingin Paperipaja is the only papermaking workshop in Finland that’s main focus - in addition to maintining a workshop - is in finding new forms of expression in the context of contemporary paper art. The association rents studios to it’s member artists. At the workshop, artists are able to manufacture Western and Japanese style paper for their artistic practice. The association also arranges papermaking courses. www.paperipaja.com
Forest Etching is a method I developed in 2018. In traditional etching methods, traces are etched onto the surface of a copper plate by immersing the plate in ferric chloride for several minutes. The imprints are then rubbed with ink and printed on paper with a press. In forest etching, acidic soils corrode the copper plates: I have replaced iron chloride with forest. Hence the name of the technique. I hide copper plates in forests, in places that are meaningful to me. I let the time do it's work. I fetch the plates and print them on paper, like any other intaglio plate.
I am one of the founding members of Helsingin Paperipaja ry. Helsingin Paperipaja is a papermaking workshop and artist studio community located in Roihupelto, Helsinki, Finland. At HPP, we are making high-grade contemporary art by respecting traditional craftmanship. The workshop is maintained by Helsingin Paperipaja ry, an association founded in 2019. The artist members are professionals working in various techniques. What brings them together is their shared love for paper. Helsingin Paperipaja is the only papermaking workshop in Finland that’s main focus - in addition to maintining a workshop - is in finding new forms of expression in the context of contemporary paper art. The association rents studios to it’s member artists. At the workshop, artists are able to manufacture Western and Japanese style paper for their artistic practice. The association also arranges papermaking courses. www.paperipaja.com
Current information
2022:On The Shore of River Piettämäjoki, solo exhibition, Galleria Fikka, Porvoo Art Hall, FI
METSÄ - KAAKKO22/23, juried group exhibition, Kouvola Art Museum Poikilo, FI
Intro – Helsingin Paperipaja ry presents, group exhibition, Yö-galleria, Helsinki, FI
