Juha Vehmaanperä’s exhibition infuses traditional craft and fashion with punk energy

helmi 9, 2026 | 2026, News

Juha-Vehmaanpera sits on the floor of a blank room. They are wearing a brightly coloured knitted dress, red tights, long black boots, a grey knitted hat, dark sunglasses and long black leather-like gloves. They have metallic lipstick on and are holding what appears to be two pink needles like a cigarette. There is a knitted item on the floor to the front right of them.

Press Release

Punk Princess, dedicated advocate of craft, Craftiest Bitch in Town. Knitwear artist Juha Vehmaanperä’s first major solo exhibition, Craft Punk, offers a vibrant overview of their work from the past ten years. The exhibition opens at the Gallery of the Architecture & Design Museum in Helsinki on Friday, 20 February.

Juha Vehmaanperä (b. 1993) creates garments by knitting and crocheting, combining traditional handicraft techniques with contemporary themes and technologies through experimentation. Their exuberant and abundant designs go beyond practical clothing needs and challenge gender norms, consumer culture and visual expectations.

Craft Punk is both the title of the exhibition and a guiding philosophy for Vehmaanperä’s practice. It encourages shaking off conventions and being oneself, expressing freely without concern for predefined categories or the boundaries of fashion. Knitted and crocheted materials do not force the wearer into a fixed shape but allow the body to guide the form of the garment.

“I aim for my garments not to define their wearers. Instead, the wearer defines themselves through the garments. I want to create space for creativity and experimentation in craft, fashion and art,” Vehmaanperä says.

Experimentation has intrinsic value in Vehmaanperä’s artistic practice.

“I represent an unapologetic craft aesthetic that brings together rich colours and forms. Bold experimentation challenges me to do things in new ways. Craft can be large-scale, striking and take a stand. I combine materials and colours intuitively and see where that leads,” Vehmaanperä explains.

Making is thinking

Through making, it is possible to engage in wordless dialogue around themes that can otherwise be difficult to express. Through their knitted works, Vehmaanperä explores topics such as queer identity and stretches traditional notions of gender.

“Knitting and making clothes originally taught me how to speak. Through it, I began to form an understanding of my own identity even before I had words for it. After that, it became easier to find my own voice.”

Alongside breaking and crossing boundaries, Vehmaanperä emphasises the unifying power of knitting and making by hand. Knitting is not only a traditional craft technique but also a way of being, through which connections can be found across generational divides.

“When I´m knitting together with my grandmother, she is able to pass on her knowledge and skills to me. At the same time, it originally created a shared space for us where it was easier for me, through my knitting, to communicate and tell her about myself.”

Craft Punk overflows with textiles, yarn, colour and events

The exhibition Juha Vehmaanperä: Craft Punk presents five of Vehmaanperä’s collections, along with outfits, samples and sketches. The collections represent different stages of the artist’s career to date. Mascuclinically Tested (Bachelor’s thesis, 2018) satirically addresses heteronormative male gender stereotypes. DIVIDEDby2 (2025) consists of gender-neutral evening wear. For this collection, Vehmaanperä dismantled, turned inside out and reconstructed gendered garments such as second-hand evening dresses, suits and ties.

In the collection Do Machines Dream of Handknit Mittens? (2023), Vehmaanperä plays with materials and DIY culture. The collection features garments that combine knitted surfaces with 3D-printed elements. The exhibition also includes entirely new work. For the Interexterior Decoration collection (2026), Vehmaanperä spent early 2026 knitting at the TextielLab in Tilburg in the Netherlands and collaborated with Novita. The collection’s aesthetic draws on everyday home textiles, which are transformed into wearable forms.

In addition to inspiring visitors, Craft Punk invites participation and hands-on making. Anyone can sit down and take part in creating a shared knitted artwork located in the exhibition space. Instructions for making chain stitches, along with all necessary materials and tools, are provided. Participants can take part in their own way, using a crochet hook or fingers, knotting or threading.

On the opening day, 20 February, a joint guided tour will be led by the exhibition’s curator, Suvi Saloniemi, and Juha Vehmaanperä. The tour offers insights into the exhibition themes and Vehmaanperä’s artistic practice. Throughout the exhibition period, workshops and artist talks will also be organised, offering tips for developing craft skills and encouraging hands-on making. On the events page of the museum you can explore the schedules for the Craft Club HEL x Architecture & Design Museum knitting group and check dates for artist talks.

Curators: Suvi Saloniemi, Juha Vehmaanperä
Architecture: Elina Aalto
Together with: The Finnish Heritage Agency, Finnish Cultural Institute for the Benelux, Novita