Hailing from Vancouver Island, Varvara joins Eden Studio as a resident artist in May 2025. Her residency will include reacquainting herself with traditional hand weaving on floor looms, something she hasn’t had a chance to do since her Master’s program at AALTO University in Finland. Specifically, she plans to practice the traditional Finnish Ryijy weaving, a knotted-pile tapestry technique. Reflecting on themes from her current project, Healing Ryijy, she will conduct a series of weaving experiments that build on the traditional Ryijy approach. Through this investigation, she hopes to discover a textile language that helps her create a series of research questions.

BIO

Varvara Kronberg is a multidisciplinary artist, textile designer, and software developer whose work bridges the worlds of art, technology, and storytelling. She holds a Masters Degree in Fashion and Textile Design from AALTO University (Finland). Varvara’s practice explores themes of sustainability, community, and emotional connection through textiles. Her recent projects, Social Ryijy and Painting Waste, weave personal narratives and community stories into tactile artworks. Varvara also curates collaborative art processes, fostering connections between creators. She describes herself as, a creative, a researcher, and a practitioner - her approach blending practice-based research and experimentation with digital and traditional techniques to create works that inspire reflection and healing.