Henna Aho
Henna Aho is a multidisciplinary Finnish artist known for large-scale, material-based constructions. Her work demonstrates an interest in combining fine art with folk art and design – exploring colour, form, materiality, narrative, domesticity, the physical body, and neo-spiritual mysticism. Through art, Aho engages with questions of the expanded field of painting, from object-based constructions to in-situ installations, from the traditional weaving techniques of Finnish peasants to the new materialist philosophy. For her, painting is a vast mycelium that connects my small-town Barbie-girl narrative with New Realist art history and playful artistic processes. This vague matrix is the framework through which she tries to find her place in the chaos and heal the traumas of being in it.
She holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts and a Master of Arts degree from the University of Arts and Design Helsinki. Aho has received grants, residencies and commissions from various organizations such as the Kone Foundation, the Finnish Cultural Foundation and the Vermont Studio Center (VT, USA, 2024). She has participated in several solo and group exhibitions, most recently at Salon ACME (Mexico City MEX, 2024), TM Gallery (Helsinki FI, 2024), Galleri F15 (Moss NO, 2024), Tartu Art House (Tartu EE, 2024) and Forum Box (Helsinki FI, 2022). Her work is represented in the collections of prominent institutions such as the Saastamoinen Foundation, HAM the Helsinki Art Museum, the Oulu Art Museum, the City of Turku and the Finnish State Art Commission. For the period 2024-26 Aho has been awarded the Henry Lönnfors Atelier Fellowship, which includes a stipend and a studio.
”Originally a painter, Henna Aho has broadened her practice to incorporate textiles and found objects; these materials have replaced paint and become her brushstrokes. A layer of dimensionality is added as the woven surfaces of each painting embrace everyday objects that Aho picks up from around her home, such as shoes, spoons, or toys, and they in turn become surprising focal points that activate the works with humor and offer eye-candy for the viewer to discover. In the words of the artist, she describes her practice as her “life and trying to control the chaos.” With their eclectic and visually stimulating composition, Aho’s works challenge the art-craft barrier and in many situations, extend beyond the restrictions of the canvas and perform as sculptures within the space of a room.” – Anne Klontz, the curator, Tendencies 2024, Galleri F15, Moss NO
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((((()))))Henna Aho, ((((())))), mixed media, 170 cm x 130 cm x 15 cm ,2024. Photo: Marje Eelma.
IIIIIIIIIIHenna Aho, IIIIIIIIII, mixed media, 170 cm x 130 cm x 10 cm ,2024. Photo: Marje Eelma.
//////////Henna Aho, //////////, mixed media, 175 cm x 130 cm x 15 cm ,2024. Photo: Marje Eelma.
7sqmHenna Aho, 7sqm, package trolley*, coawt hangers and rack*, ladder*, broom*, hand-woven textiles, handmade weaving frame, painting canvas, concrete tube, kitchen tools, painting brushes and tray, shoes, socks, toilet paper, champagne bottle, plywood, plastic tube, wall paint on the gallery wall *Found objects from the gallery site and its surroundings, 276 cm x 310 cm x 104 cm ,2024. Photo: Eivind Lauritzen / Galleri F 15.
ComfyDigits_exhibition viewHenna Aho, ComfyDigits_exhibition view, exhibition view, TM Gallery, Helsinki FI, 2024. Photo: Anna Autio Retouch: Henna Aho..
170x130cmHenna Aho, 170x130cm, string, nail, tricot string, painting canvas strips, measuring tape, brush, kitchen tool, silk ribbon, wall paint on linen, 170 cm x 130 cm x 10 cm ,2024. Photo: Henna Aho.
6:25oclockHenna Aho, 6:25oclock, string, nail, tricot fabric, rope, painting canvas strips, foam, watering can, kitchen tool, hangar, wall paint on cotton, 170 cm x 130 cm x 15 cm ,2024. Photo: Henna Aho.
50g/dayHenna Aho, 50g/day, string, nail, tricot fabric, painting canvas strips, extension cord, sneaker, decoration flower, tape, wall paint on linen, 170 cm x 130 cm x 10 cm ,2024. Photo: Anna Autio Retouch: Henna Aho.
ComfyDigits_exhibition viewHenna Aho, ComfyDigits_exhibition view, exhibition view, TM Gallery, Helsinki FI, 2024. Photo: Anna Autio Retouch: Henna Aho.
800eHenna Aho, 800e, string, nail, tricot fabric, rope, painting canvas strips, toilet brush, kitchen tool, acrylic and wall paint on cotton, 170 cm x 130 cm x 10 cm ,2024. Photo: Anna Autio Retouch: Henna Aho.
Hypofutulore (1)Henna Aho, Hypofutulore (1), mattress, rubber shoe, sneaker, cardboard tube, painting equipment, vacuum cleaner, painting strips, strings, nails, wall paint on cardboard, shelf rails, 215 cm x 250 cm x 70 cm ,2022. Photo: Anna Autio.
Hypofutulore (2)Henna Aho, Hypofutulore (2), jeans, woven package material, electric wire, empty food package, strings, nails, wall paint on cardboard, shelf rails, 215 cm x 130 cm x 10 cm ,2022. Photo: Anna Autio.
Hypofutulore (3)Henna Aho, Hypofutulore (3), Installation view, Forum Box, Helsinki FI, 2022. Photo: Anna Autio.
HA0421Henna Aho, HA0421, painting strips (acrylic and oil on linen), shoe, string, nail, concrete, foam, wall paint on cotton, 220 cm x 215 cm x 6 cm ,2022. Photo: Timo Nieminen.
HA0406AHenna Aho, HA0406A, painting strips (oil on linen), shoe, string, nail, concrete, ceramics, tape roll, comb, pencil, wooden object, wall paint on cotton, 220 cm x 200 cm x 15 cm ,2022. Photo: Timo Nieminen.
By the Old FieldHenna Aho, By the Old Field, Installation view, Mänttä Art Festival, 2022. Photo: Timo Nieminen.
HA0511Henna Aho, HA0511, string, foam, leotard strip, acrylic paint, applied painting mass on canvas, 81 cm x 64 cm x 7 cm ,2022. Photo: Timo Nieminen.
The Outlet CanvasHenna Aho, The Outlet Canvas, concrete tube, foam strip covered with hand-woven fabric, sneaker, string, foam plate, linen canvas strips, applied painting mass, nails, 71 cm x 60 cm x 7 cm ,2022/23. Photo: Henna Aho.