Melissa Sammalvaara

Melissa Sammalvaara is an adventurous artist and designer operating in Helsinki and various campsites around Finland. Currently she is experimenting on rya, finding new approaches and techniques to combine with more traditional working methods. Nature and our relation to it is a large inspiration for her, which can be seen in her mossy, luscious artworks and the preference in ecological and second hand materials. Slow and methodical work with textiles can be seen as a protest towards the ever accelerating rhythm of life in our society and the shortening of our attention spans. Slow does not, however, mean dull, as the tying of the rya follows an improvised pattern, creating lifelike and spontaneous surfaces.

Melissa’s works can be found in Finnish State Art Deposit, as well as the largest textile art collection in the country and Institut Finlandais in Paris. She has also received numerous grants including the current one year working grant from The Finnish Cultural Foundation.