tekstiteoksillaan

Tekstiteoksillaan is a term used in Finnish-language art and literary criticism to describe a practice in which text is the central material of a work, rather than image or narrative alone. The phrase is derived from tekstiteos (text work) with the instrumental suffix -illaan, signaling the artist’s approach of producing or presenting their text-based artworks. It is used to characterize artists and projects across poetry, visual art, graphic design, and digital media who treat typography, layout, and spatial arrangement as essential expressive elements.

In practice, works described as being made tekstiteoksillaan may foreground letterforms, lineation, and spacing; they may employ concrete poetry, asemic writing, or multilingual text. The texts can be standalone pieces or part of installations, publications, or digital platforms, and may invite reader interaction, performance, or exploration of materiality and process.

Historically, the term appears in Finnish criticism as part of broader conversations about the boundary between literature and visual art, and about the materiality of language. Critics debate whether such works should be understood primarily as poetry, as art objects, or as hybrids; discussions often address accessibility, interpretive openness, and institutional reception.

Notable aspects include the integration of textual content with visual design, the use of technology to manipulate text, and the emphasis on reader engagement. See also visual poetry, concrete poetry, text art, and net art.