My work listens to the mundane and attempts to interpret the narratives which are embedded in our everyday. It draws from domestic activities: habits, objects and intimacy, and looks for ways in which to create paths between the private and the public, between the inside and the outside. I believe that handmade objects have a physical memory and absorb the essence of their makers. The process of sewing is essential to to me: piercing the fibers allows me to create both a physical and an emotional bond with the material. Working with old textiles is especially important, my mission is to give discarded handiworks and their creators a new existence. "Heidi's practice incorporates the tactile and the performative, ultimately arriving at a body of work that is both spiritual and deeply grounded in the handmade and physical." - Julia Harris, Textile Arts Center New York. Born in Finland, lives and works in New York. Heidi received her BA (Hons) Degree in Critical Fine Art Practice from Central Saint Martin's College of Art and Design, London, and went on to a MA History Degree in South East Asian Art at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. She has a Diploma in Fine Arts from Kanneljärven Opiston taidelinja in Finland. Heidi works primarily with vintage textiles. Hankaniemi's work has been exhibited throughout Europe and in the US, including at The Moscow Museum of Modern Art as part of the Moscow Biennale for Young Art, The Metro Museum for The Pro Arte Contemporary Art Festival in Russia and in the Sol LeWitt exchange at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. Solo exhibitions include Espacio Valverde in Madrid and The Embassy of Finland in Washington D.C. Her work has been featured in publications ranging from Architectural Digest to Vogue and Hello! magazine. Heidi's work is included in numerous private collections.