As a child, Iines Jakovlev attended Marjo Pitko’s art classes in Keminmaa and dreamed of becoming an artist and a cat carer when she grew up. That is exactly what has happened. During the online interview, the content cat Pusu can be seen on screen, and Iines is now an artist and biomaterial designer who lives and works in Kemi.
During her time at secondary school, Iines took three qualifications and trained as a visual artist. She graduated as a visual artist from Lapland University of Applied Sciences in 2015. Her journey continued to Helsinki. At Aalto University, she initially focused her studies on industrial design, until she decided to follow her own interests and found her path in the field of materials. She came into contact with biomaterials on a summer course through CHEMARTS, where Aalto University’s Department of Chemical Engineering (CHEM) and the Department of Art, Design and Architecture (ARTS) have a long-standing collaboration. Iines completed her Bachelor’s degree on biomaterials in jewellery design. She then worked at CHEMARTS in various roles during her Master’s studies.
Iines also develops and manufactures her own biomaterials, such as 100% cellulose pulp that can be used to create patterns using a syringe. She has used this pulp to create modern, conceptual jewellery. The jewellery draws inspiration from microscopic images of the material samples. The material recipe is featured in the book CHEMARTS Cookbook alongside other recipes.
She describes her style as material- and process-oriented. For her Master’s thesis, she transformed fibre plants found by the roadside into usable products. She spun and knitted milkweed, wove reeds, seaweed and dandelions, and plaited lupins. She was awarded the Ornamo Encouragement Prize for her thesis.
This versatile artist has worked with graphic design for VTT, product design for Iittala stores and pattern design for Serla kitchen rolls. Her glass sculpture, Hidden Lake, has been exhibited at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport.
Iines highlights new perspectives and the properties of materials. Recently, she has been working with spruce and pine cone scales. She reworks them into her art as a recurring theme. The scales she uses are sourced from a local collector who gathers pine seeds for planting. Most of these cones would otherwise end up as combustible waste.
Back to the north
Helsinki didn’t quite feel like home, so Iines moved back to Kemi. The natural surroundings, where the sea and the forest are close by, are familiar from the carefree games of her childhood. She now gathers her materials from the same places. The area also has a tradition of using reeds, for example to make shoe soles and mats.
Iines sees a challenge in the attitude that questions the sustainability of biomaterials. Do they have to be sustainable? If every product manufactured in the world were sustainable, how would we dispose of them? One can also look at the matter from another angle: biomaterials are easy to recycle. Iines uses only cellulose-based, fully biodegradable adhesives, and other materials are generally sourced from nature. The field is being driven by both artists and designers, who play a key role through their choice of materials and how these impact the environment. The trend is clearly on the rise.
Iine’s studio is located in the basement of Meän Periferia. During Konstrundan, various biomaterials are on display for visitors to touch. Textures and tactility play an important role, and Iines enjoys sharing her knowledge of materials. Transparency regarding the processes is important from a sustainability perspective.
As a newcomer to Konstrundan, she is hoping for plenty of visitors to Meän Kulma. Iines also works here as chair of the Meän Periferia association. On the corner of Nahkurinkatu are exhibition spaces, studios and the association members’ art shop. The former furniture shop covers an area of 540 square metres. The premises also host courses, music and art events with a cross-disciplinary approach.
Community, the development of the organisation and the opportunity to amplify artists’ voices are key issues. Art is a broad field, and this is finally becoming visible in Kemi too.
The Meän Periferia association was founded in January 2025. The first grant was awarded to a working group consisting of three of the current board members: visual artist Marjo Pitko, photographic artist Esa Ylijääskö and Iines. It all began when Iines and Esa moved back to their home region in the Kemi-Keminmaa area.
Today, the board consists of six artists and the association has just under 50 members. The association has received much praise from its funders, both for its members’ interdisciplinary approach and for its location on the northern periphery, which is seen as a strength. The aim is to foster multidisciplinary art in the region through a shared meeting place. This work has been carried out, for example, through various painting workshops, writing courses, artists’ gatherings, music events and an art day on the local island of Laitakari, which is planned to be organised as a weekend-long event this summer.
The Meän Kulma premises house both the larger Kulma Galleria and the smaller exhibition space, Artbox. This year, Kulma Galleria is organising five themed exhibitions selected through open calls. The applications are then judged anonymously by a jury of professionals from various cultural fields. There has been considerable interest in the exhibitions from the start, which demonstrates the need for both the venue and the concept. Artbox is also hosting five solo exhibitions, for which the application period was in March 2026. This autumn, the application period will open for exhibitions at Artbox in 2027.
The bright premises in central Kemi opened in October 2025 and the first exhibition featuring invited artists opened already in November. This driven group is riding a wave of success in these otherwise difficult times. Several major grants have been awarded to develop the organisation’s activities. This art centre brings together culture across borders. It is a joy to witness the positive atmosphere within the broad art scene in Lapland!