Culture through textile: the work of Outi Pieski
The Tate has been key in re-assessing the work of women artists, or more accurately in the world of Fine Art, considering it worth assessing in the first place. It has involved accepting and even promoting the idea that textile work can be Art. It’s reassuring to know that this approach, developed by Frances Morris when Tate Director, is still continuing after her departure. The show by Outi Pieski at Tate St Ives is an intriguing mix of textile and paintings. Textile, but above all the communal making of it, are central to the exhibition.
Image: Outi Pieski, photo Heikki Tuuli.
Outi Pieski is deeply concerned with encouraging and re-establishing her Sámi culture, which was traduced by Christian ‘missionaries’ and subsequent assimilation policies. That Sámi artefacts are considered as of ethnographical interest rather than as living culture, and proper Art by Western Museums is a bone of contention. Her work highlights that women were and should be again, considered as equal in a society where everyone had a part to play in surviving in a harsh environment. This deep dive into Sámi culture is accompanied by a fundamental appreciation of the Arctic environment in which the Sámi people live. Indeed Nature is not perceived as ‘other,’ as it is in many Western cultures, but as an essential part of Sámi being. The Sámi live across the Arctic in Sápmi, now, but not traditionally, divided into the different nations, of Finland, Norway, Sweden and Russia. They were nomadic groups, with different traditions, but many binding, shared cultural beliefs and attitudes to the environment.
Want to read more of this article?
We are proud to be a subscriber-funded publication with members in 185 countries. We know our readership is passionate about textiles, so we invite you to help us preserve and promote the stories, memories, and histories that fabric holds. Your support allows us to publish our magazine, and also ‘what's on’ information, and subscription interviews, reviews, and long-read articles in our online blog.
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER? CLICK HERE TO ACCESS CONTENT
