Hanna-Kaisa Korolainen

Alphabet rug

Dialogue between sources of inspiration and practitioner

The Alphabet Rug installation has been inspired by Auguste Herbin and Akseli Gallen–Kallela, and hand–tufted with mohair yarns. Brushed mohair resembles a soft expressionist painting. For Korolainen, sources of inspiration participate in the creative process – she is not really the one "making the artwork", but rather the work materializes through her.

Alphabet Rug follows Korolainen’s practice of working with sources originating in art history. This installation has been inspired by French artist Auguste Herbin’s Plastic Alphabet and Finnish artist Akseli Gallen–Kallela’s Liekki (eng. Flame) rug. Korolainen believes that multiple materials, like sources of inspiration, participate in the creative process. Sometimes she feels that she is not really the one "making the artwork", but rather that the work materializes through her. Korolainen observes the world, and something of it crystallizes into a new form as part of the creative process. The Alphabet rug was hand–tufted with mohair yarns. Korolainen mixes various colors together and in the end brushes the mohair. The result resembles a soft expressionist painting where colors get mixed. The rug is shown on a bench, as historically rugs were functional, bringing warmth during cold seasons. Korolainen’s artwork is situated somewhere between art and design and can be observed as an object or as an active actor of our surroundings. With its’ softness the rug invites being touched, seemingly wanting to take the spectator in its warm embrace.