Handwoven: Between Chaos and Order

Experience the vibrant sensory textile works from expressive Swedish artist Emelie Röndahl in a new exhibition at the American Swedish Institute.  

Emelie Röndahl (b. 1982) creates large-scale figurative textiles that challenge and expand the possibilities of rya, a traditional Scandinavian weaving technique. Based in Falkenberg, Sweden, Röndahl holds a PhD in Fine Arts and Crafts from HDK-Valand in Gothenburg, where her research explored the contemporary potential of rya weaving. Her work spans textiles, sculpture, and moving image, often addressing themes of the body, identity, and self-perception.   

As a textile artist, Emelie challenges tradition by showcasing new aspects of rya, creating depth and duality in her works, which can be viewed from both sides to tell a deeper story. Her large, woven pieces can be unclear at first, but they reveal themselves upon closer examination. Her works ask viewers to slow down and look closely. Instead of trimming the excess threads, she intentionally lets them hang, where they appear to be “crying.”  

“A rya is constantly trembling between chaos and order, crying and bleeding yarn, where the built-in two-sidedness is well suited to figurative motifs because it then reinforces an underground or ‘back’ of a motif.” – Emelie Röndahl

On view throughout the Turnblad Mansion, visitors will encounter more than 20 of Röndahl’s handwoven works, including two moving-image pieces and a newly commissioned self-portrait. Video documentation of her weaving process provides further insight into the evolution of her subjects, which range from internet imagery to world events to intimate depictions of family, pets, and her own body. 

Handwoven: Between Chaos and Order Digital Press Kit.

Also on view:

In addition to Röndahl’s work, the traveling exhibition of Nordic Echoes: Tradition in Contemporary Art, curated by the American-Scandinavian Foundation, will also be on view at ASI as well as Norway House. This exhibition features 44 works by 24 artists from the Upper Midwest, in mixed media including wood, textiles, clay, and metal, challenging the dominant “heritage model” of ethnic folklore by emphasizing that “all tradition is change.” 

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