Outi Pieski
Outi Pieski is a Sámi visual artist, born in 1973 in Helsinki, Finland. Pieski's paintings, collages and installations employ traditional handicrafts such as the tassels of Sámi shawls to depict the light and landscapes of the far north.
Working primarily with installation and painting, artist and activist Outi Pieski has gained recognition for her artwork examining the history and identity of the Sami people. “Place and matter have a prominent presence in Pieski’s practice. Her works are linked to a specific geographical and a specific cultural landscape and they also draw on materials that have closely defined significance and purposes,” writes curator Milja Liimatainen.
While in-residence at Tamarind—her first experience with lithography—Pieski focused on depicting traditional Sami clothing, specifically the horn hat worn by her foremother, within the region’s dramatic natural environment. Her four editions honor the hues and textures of the land, horizon, light, and terrain, made all the more compelling by the inclusion of the horn hat.
Pieski received her MFA in painting from the Academy of Fine Arts. She has had solo exhibitions throughout Scandinavia and has participated in group exhibitions and projects around the world. Her work in public and private collections including EMMA – Espoo Museum of Modern Art, The Gösta Serlachius Fine Arts Foundation, Rovaniemi Art Museum, Aine Art Museum, Oulu Art Museum, Sami Parliament Norway/ Sami Art Collection, Art Collection of Norway, Finnish National Gallery, and more. She received the prize of the Fine Arts Academy of Finland in 2017 and the William Thuring Prize, Finnish Art Society, in 2016.
