Emma Piirtoniemi
Emma Piirtoniemi admires the ability of jewellery to convey big ideas on an intimate scale. Originally from Bawaating (Sault Ste. Marie), Ontario on the unceded territory of the Anishnaabeg Nation, currently based in Kjipuktuk (Halifax), Nova Scotia on the unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq Nation, Piirtoniemi draws inspiration for her jewellery and installation practice from her time growing up on the Great Lakes of Superior and Huron, as well as her more recent years on the Atlantic coast.
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The granite islands and agate beaches of the Canadian Shield, along with sandstone cliffs and flats of the Bay of Fundy, inform how Piirtoniemi envisions our future geologies and the transformation of water systems. She makes tangible the abstract notion of the anthropocene and investigates how our now familiar surroundings might look and feel as waste plastics and industrial materials embed deeper and deeper in the physical makeup of the land and water.
Piirtoniemi explores the process of forming through gradual repetition: small, non-prescribed actions which slowly build to become something new: objects, geology, methods, or ways forward. She captures fluidity and play of light in her work by using acrylic and glass, and utilizes carving, forming, assemblage and mosaic techniques. Her contemplative objects and installations are alluring to the eye and hand, yet retain mystery in their construction. Circular design is integrated into much of Emma’s work, as the same material lives several lives at the artist’s bench until almost nothing remains.
Piirtoniemi completed her BFA Major in Jewellery Design and Metalsmithing and Minor in Art History at NSCAD University, and has participated in multiple residencies in Canada. She has exhibited in cities across the United States and Canada, including solo exhibitions at Harbourfront Centre in Tkaranto (Toronto), Ontario and Anna Leonowens Gallery, Kjipuktuk (Halifax), Nova Scotia.
