Sunna Maaria Kangas
Basic information
b. 1974, Helsinki
Textile artist (MA)
Residence: Helsinki
Contact information
Email: sunna.kangas@gmail.com
Artist’s Statement
My working method is similar to the collage technique in which I process the reality I face on different levels. In my previous work I have examined social affairs from war and violence to the paradoxes of the consumer society. One central motif in my art is resisting injustice. My personal experiences stimulate a more social approach on the matters. I am fascinated by the diversity of humanity and, at the same time, its universal similarity. As a textile artist my work principally aims to examine the relation between the visible surface and the deeper, abstract levels.
The final work is a result of a long process. An observation provokes a thought, which I process in preliminary sketches while compiling material. I then process my material on the computer before eventually moving on to a variety of textile techniques. Occasionally I also use moving images and sound as immaterial elements. As a medium, textile fascinates me because of its pervasive quality and femininity. Craft making also counterbalances the digital part of the process and creates its own, unique imprint. My aim is to use specific techniques, forms and colors that support the substance of the works – the emotions and thoughts, the values and information. The work of an artist, for me, is not to imitate reality, but rather to find it. With my final pieces I hope to challenge the viewer into communication and independent thinking.
The final work is a result of a long process. An observation provokes a thought, which I process in preliminary sketches while compiling material. I then process my material on the computer before eventually moving on to a variety of textile techniques. Occasionally I also use moving images and sound as immaterial elements. As a medium, textile fascinates me because of its pervasive quality and femininity. Craft making also counterbalances the digital part of the process and creates its own, unique imprint. My aim is to use specific techniques, forms and colors that support the substance of the works – the emotions and thoughts, the values and information. The work of an artist, for me, is not to imitate reality, but rather to find it. With my final pieces I hope to challenge the viewer into communication and independent thinking.
