Katja Beckman

Katja Beckman Ojala b.1990 Sweden.

Katja Beckman creates sculptural tapestries through the experimental combination of weaving structures, techniques and materials. She explores the way memories and places appear when recalled in the mind. For example, when thinking about exploring forests in the mountains of Kyoto, she tries to describe the sublime nature of the experience, and the overwhelming feeling of an embrace.

Katjas formal training as a hand weaver came from HV skola in Stockholm, an education with incredibly detailed rules on how textiles should be made. With this knowledge as a grounding, she has constantly tried to challenge and push the boundaries to work with weaving in an innovative way.

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Katja completed a mFa in textile craft at Konstfack in 2016. In these two years she was afforded the space and time to expand my working practice in a number of important ways. She was able to build her own large scale weaving frame and work on a large scale tapestry that changed the way she thought about weaving.


"I am inspired by the sublime qualities of nature that come when things are formed over a very long time. I draw inspiration from the collision and confluence of forms in nature, such as rock formations, moss and deep sea landscapes.  Coming from the classic school of weaving, I’m interested in challenging and broadening the spectrum of weaving. I insert the process of weaving in an innovative way. I introduce alien materials together with classical yarns to create textiles sculptures.

The human body is a part of the work, as the size and the perception of the viewer's own body is called into play, it is not just visual, but a tactile experience for the whole body.

My works are subtle, despite their strong colors, they do not scream for attention. They are not in a rush, all they have is time, and patiently they wait to be gazed upon, for someone to go in and explore the different surfaces, to allow themselves to get lost. Silence is a language only the one who takes the time to listen can understand".