Helena Lehtinen is a collector; she seems to collect materials throughout her life. The materials are chosen based on personal preferences, where the form, color, and texture of objects play a central role. Helena Lehtinen does not treat materials as raw materials that need to be processed but as substance objects that are emphasized and shaped through carefully designed combinations.

Lehtinen's work reflects relative thinking, as in her works, objects are either found or created to be connected to other objects. As a collector, Lehtinen often accumulates individual objects in her works: hundreds of beads are sewn together, colorful threads are wound into a larger whole, or buttons are arranged in an order to form a broader composition. In Lehtinen's work, the preference for everyday objects is combined with a distinctive sense of aesthetics. When analyzing her individual material choices, there seems to be a common foundation related to a certain nostalgia for home-related objects, which could also be associated with the traditional women's world or gendered objects of femininity.

Although Lehtinen's choices could lead to a highly romanticized expression, her works do not contain such sentiment. Her work is bold and references awareness of cultural traditions without being subjugated to them. This is a key aspect that provides the viewer with a valuable insight, which can become a crucial factor in understanding and identifying with contemporary culture.

Helena Lehtinen collects various materials, but it is clear that there is nothing random about her choices. Materials are selected based on experience. Lehtinen's choices are rooted in a deep understanding of the possibilities of materials and an understanding of the people in contemporary society to whom her work is directed.

text by Karen Pontoppidan, Professor, Academy of Fine Arts Munich

Brooch
Textile, glass beads
2023

Brooch
Textile, glass beads
2023

Brooch
Textile, glass beads, silver
2020

Necklace
Vintage textiles, glass beads
2024

Photographs by Johannes Wilenius