21.6.–12.7.2026

Opening 18.6. 18:00–20:00

Māter X is a collaborative exhibition by artist-designers Milla Vainio and Niina Hyry that explores material-driven practice, agency, and tactile modes of research and interaction with matter. New materialist thinking lies at the core of both artists’ practices, emerging through an ongoing dialogue between materiality and craft-based making. In this context, new materialist thinking refers to alternative ways of producing, understanding, and conceptualizing materiality. In the work of Vainio and Hyry, these themes extend beyond the scope of this exhibition and constitute an integral part of each artist’s independent artistic practice. Both artists graduated from the Contemporary Design MA programme at Aalto University. The works presented in the exhibition were created between 2025 and 2026.

In Māter X, the artists’ distinct material approaches converge under a shared thematic framework, forming a dialogue that examines the intersections and tensions between their practices. Central questions addressed by the exhibition include: How does material become artefact, and upon what is the value of material founded? Clay, minerals, bacteria, and mycelial networks existed within the Earth’s material systems long before human presence, yet how do these substances appear within the everyday life of contemporary society as material and cultural phenomena, and how are they experienced? The exhibition seeks to foster discussion on the valuation and use of materials while simultaneously foregrounding the significance of craft traditions and their contemporary expressive possibilities. The works open new perspectives on the interpretation of materials and connect to broader questions concerning how we understand, value, and utilize the resources that surround us.

The different components of the exhibition function as platforms for shared dialogue, increasing awareness of the origins of materials. The methods employed in the works raise questions about the diversity of material culture and situate these discussions within a contemporary context by combining traditional craft techniques with experimental processes of material development, form-making, and surface treatment.
Milla Vainio approaches the exhibition’s theme through ceramic sculptures that examine the nature of materiality and the meanings of authenticity across different contexts. The shared etymology of words such as “artificial” and “artefact,” for instance, points to something made by human agency — that which is understood as existing outside natural processes. In her ceramic practice, Vainio employs experimental methods to problematize the boundaries between authenticity and imitation, as well as their inherent ambiguity: material may simultaneously reveal and conceal its own material nature.
Niina Hyry’s works present biofabricated materials in their natural state. The material growth has been shaped into its final form through growing conditions and human interaction, and the traces of growth are a major part of the work. Her biomaterial works are mirroring change; they highlight the potential of novel, natural, biofabricated materials and present them as part of the human-built environment.

Artist bios
Milla Vainio (b. 1992, Tampere) works primarily with ceramics, while also engaging with glass and printmaking; her artistic practice spans multiple media. Vainio’s artistic thinking and working methods were significantly shaped by a study period at Tama Art University in 2017. During this time, she deepened her material-driven approach particularly within the context of ceramics, while further developing an expressive and research-oriented engagement with the relationships between material, process, and form. Material-led practice occupies a central role in Vainio’s artistic work, where the interplay between diverse artistic methods and techniques becomes visibly present within the works themselves. The exploration of new technical and aesthetic possibilities arising from these intersections constitutes a primary focus of her practice. Vainio’s approach is characterized by experimentation, in which the combination of materials and the reinterpretation of craft traditions function as the foundation of artistic expression.
Vainio’s work has been presented in several group exhibitions both in Finland and internationally. Her works have been exhibited in Finnish museums as well as in exhibitions abroad, including in Germany and Japan.

Instagram: @studio.waiva
email: info.studiowaiva@gmail.com

Niina Hyry (b. 1988, Oulu) is a designer/artist whose passion and medium are biomaterials. Originally graduating as a furniture designer in 2015, Hyry’s work with wood, glass, plastic, and ceramics has led her towards the origin of materials and biomaterials. The turning point was her master’s studies at Aalto University (2018-2021), where the CHEMARTS minor program broadened her understanding of material production via chemistry and wood-based materials. Her interest in ecological materials and processes has led her to work with current materials, such as bacterial cellulose and mycelium. Hyry works at the intersection of design, art, and science, where the material-led approach is a unifying factor. Key elements of her work include sensorial observing of materials and experimental research combined with simple craft techniques and tools. Hyry’s works feature biomaterials and their various forms. Hyry’s work in 2026 has been funded by the Finnish Cultural Foundation. Hyry has been involved in various material research projects and group exhibitions, as part of a research group or as an independent artist. Hyry’s works have been exhibited at design events in Finland and across Europe.

Instagram: @biodesign_nh
email: niina.hyry@outlook.com
www.niinahyry.com