lief is pleased to announce an exhibition of textile artist Ritva Puotila.

In the mid 1980's, Ritva Puotila, took a familiar wartime material, paper yarn, and started her creation of textile art. During World War II, few materials entered Finland and the country had to rely upon their own natural resources. A country surrounded by forest, textile companies started looking at paper. Soon twines were made out of paper and clothes followed. When the war ended people discarded the material in hope of erasing memories of the war. Four decades later, Ritva Puotila, reintroduced it in her art as a symbol of her country. In the spirit of the time the metaphor of painting with "yarn" gave a new interpretation in which the glorious colors, explosive compositions and wide brush strokes were transferred into woven yarn.