Rooted in themes of Karelian heritage, memory, and continuity, Pola Laamanen’s project KK reimagines the visual language of traditional Karelian embroidery through a contemporary lens. Drawing from deep research into the semantics and techniques of historical embroidery, Laamanen traces one of its earliest known methods to build a dialogue between ancestral symbols and modern artistic meaning.
The series are inspired by the daily lives and design choices of local residents of the capital region of Finland. Rooted in a deep appreciation for craftsmanship, each piece transforms an old window frame into a canvas of memory and imagination. The worn wood - marked by time - whispers stories of the past, and through intricate embroidery, these narratives are reimagined. By layering realistic, dimensional stitches, the artwork captures glimpses of what might have once been seen through these windows—blurring the boundary between past and present.
In this new body of work, hand embroidery and painting converge to create richly textured, tactile compositions. Abstract backgrounds—often leaving areas of raw canvas exposed—set the stage for layered embroidered motifs that reference botanical forms. These natural elements, drawn from the artist’s earlier series of botanical studies, now appear in a more deconstructed, interpretive context.
