“Sweetheart Delusion..?” was originally created as part of Plantasy -exhibition (2021) curated by Gladys Camilo and Jonni Korhonen, as part of Feminist Culture House’s Nestee program. 
 
Through adding hard elements like metal, glass, and wood, Ama Essel wishes to shatter the conventional implications of the rya rug within the domestic Finnish context. Traditionally, rya is often linked to connotations of softness, mushiness, and femininity — the heirloom passed down through generations, gifted to the complicit and dutiful sweetheart. In addition to this playful exploration of layers and materials, Ama further decentralises the rya by incorporating text. The sculptural rya installation series is threading together snippets of a rocky love letter between the artist and her two metre tall beloved monstrous evergreen. 

Sweetheart Delusion..? (2021)
Rya technique, wool, cotton, paper, glass, metal, wood
50 x 40 cm, 40 x 30 cm, 29,5 x 21 cm.

Photography Jonni Korhonen