Artist Statement
I am Alyona Miroshnychenko, a Ukrainian fiber artist currently living and working in Finland. I work in wet-felting techniques to create wall pieces.
I create multi-layered wall pieces, about 86 cm in height at the moment, moving towards larger works around one meter, where Finnish wool becomes a tool for thinking — a way to trace memory, adaptation, and emotional states through texture.
Arriving in Finland, I faced the familiar challenges of migration: fragmentation, silence, and the slow reconstruction of identity. Wool — raw, local, tactile — became my way of understanding the place where I now live and the person I am becoming.
A central part of my practice is the research and experimentation with Finnish wool. I approach the material as a full collaborator: the wool has its own ‘will,’ and I have mine. My intention is to express personal narratives, emotions, and reflections through the material, while the wool reveals its properties, texture, and behavior. The work emerges at the intersection of these two forces. The scale of the piece is an essential part of this dialogue — Finnish wool requires space to fully express itself, and in the future I plan to expand my works further to explore its potential.
Black wool is often laid as the base layer. As the felting progresses, it emerges through the lighter fibers, representing the hidden or darker aspects of the self. Lighter fibers assert themselves on the surface, symbolizing conscious awareness, resilience, and the striving toward presence. The interplay between dark and light embodies the tension and negotiation between opposing aspects of identity, ultimately arriving at a nuanced balance—both in the finished work and as a metaphor for human experience.
I work within a medium traditionally seen as craft rather than contemporary art. By recontextualizing Finnish wool, I aim to bring this material into contemporary artistic discourse, exploring its conceptual, ecological, and emotional potential. My practice contributes to the recognition and appreciation of wet-felting as a contemporary medium, expanding its expressive possibilities and connecting traditional techniques with personal and cultural narratives.
BIO
Alyona Miroshnychenko was born in 1983 in Crimea, Ukraine. She studied fashion design and worked as a lecturer before discovering her passion for wet felting as both an artistic technique and technological process. Over time, Alyona transitioned from creating clothing and accessories to making non-functional art objects from wool.
Forced to leave Ukraine due to the 2022 war, she spent a year in the USA before settling with her family in Finland in 2023. Now based in a small studio in Tohmajärvi, North Karelia, Alyona continues to explore the conceptual, technological, and artistic possibilities of Finnish wool, promoting wet felting and Finnish wool as a unique artistic medium.
Selected Exhibitions & Grants
Duo Exhibitions:
- 2024 – Group exhibition at Tohmajärvi Library, Finland
- 2025 – Fading Faces, Kaamos Galleria, Kuusamo, Finland
- 2025 – Forssa Textile Week, curated group exhibition, Forssa, Finland
- 2025 – Juhlanäyttely, group exhibition at Taidekeskus Ahjo (Art Center Ahjo), Joensuu, Finland
Grants & Membership:
- 2025 (May 18) – Recipient of a grant from the Finnish Cultural Foundation (Suomen Kulttuurirahasto, SKR) for Exploration of the Artistic Potential of Finnish Wool and Creation of Large-Scale Works. Popularization of Finnish Wool.
- 2025 (June 18) – Became a member of Joensuun Taiteilijaseura ry (Joensuu Artists’ Association)
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