Erkki Pekkarinen, Koivunkuoren museo / Birch Bark Museum

unless indicated otherwise images have been published here
in agreement with the (Finnish) Rural Education Association  
above image and the next one by Juho Haavisto

The image above shows a studio, which in addition to various materials, also includes two large-scale woven shoes in the background.

This is Erkki Pekkarinen's Tuohimester hut in the small rural community of Asikkala in Finland.

The photo below shows him seated in his studio.

Life and works

The two scenes give an impression of Erkki Pekkarinen's house museum, which can be seen as a small-scale art environment.

Erkki Pekkarinen has become known as a virtuoso when it comes to weaving pieces of birch bark. He has made both the largest creation of woven birch bark in the world, a work 2.7 meters high, and the smallest, which has a size of 3.8 millimeters.

He was born in 1936 in the city of of Lieksa and he now lives in Assikala, in the region Päyänne Tavstia in the south of Finland.

His father was a roofer by profession, but as a boy he had to learn to weave birch bark himself. He started doing this at a fairly young age, when he was some ten years old.

After his years in primary school, Pekkarinen went to work at a sawmill, where was enough material available to make wickerwork whenever he felt like it.

Portrait (2018) by Peter Holliday

One of his most iconic works, as in the image above, is a wearable three-piece suit made entirely out of woven birch bark. 

He regularly appears at the opening of art exhibitions dressed in this suit, complete with a woven Stetson hat made of tree bark and a tree bark briefcase.

The image below-left shows him in his entirety in this costume. 

this image courtesy of Veli Grano

this image courtesy of Veli Grano

In the image above-right, Pekkarinen can also be seen in this costume, but then, almost literally, at the foot of one of his gigantic creations.

Such a figure, more than five meters tall, was in 2017 placed in the courtyard of a hotel in his hometown.

At the hotel reception stands the giant's little brother, referred to in Finnish as Pikku-Erkki.

image by Raija Kalioinen

The world's smallest creations made of birch bark, created by Erkki Pekkarinen, have been on display at various exhibitions in Finland and have also toured England for two years.

Recently two notable developments occurred.

Firstly, the local Assikala Homeland Museum established a space where Pekkarinen's works are on display in an atmospheric setting. That space was opened to the public in late June 2026.

The museum's website shows an image of the wall cabinet in the studio that Pekkarinen had in his home (as in the first image in this post). It is possible that this cabinet, along with other creations, has moved to the museum.

Secundly, the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, USA, announced a new exhibition, opening on October 10, 2026, and running until September 5, 2027. This exhibition, titled Flaunt: When Appearance Speaks, also features work by Erkki Pekkarinen. 

The exhibition shows more than 60 works by various artists who often use processed everyday materials such as buttons, pipe cleaners or birch bark, like Pekkarinen.

Documentaion

*  Article on the website ITE Taide published by Maaseudun Sivistysliitto,  the (Finnish) Rural Education Association  

* Article  on the website of the municipality of Assikala

Video

* Video (2017) by Mike Inglis with Raya Kalioinen and Erkki Pekkarinen talking about his wickerwork (If you watch the video on YouTube, there is also accompanying information about the topics discussed)

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Erkki Pekkarinen

Birch Bark Museum

Anttonintie 8, 

17130 Asikkala, region Päijät-Häme, Finland

his creations can be seen in the Asikkala Homeland Museum