Ea Vasko: #11, from the series Reflections of the ever-changing (the short history of now), 2009. Galerie Forsblom.

Abstract! 100 Years of Abstract Photography, 1917–2017

The Abstract! exhibition celebrates the hundred-year history of photographic abstraction. With over 100 works, the exhibition presents a large number of Finnish artists from different periods, as well as the famous international early abstractionists László Moholy-Nagy, Man Ray, and August Strindberg.

Abstraction, which is popular in today's photographic art, met with strong opposition, especially among photographers, when it was first introduced in the early 20th century – and has done so at regular intervals ever since. It was considered to be pointless and to go against the nature of photography as a medium for recording and representing reality.

Abstraction has also been ignored in Finnish research on photography, even though it has an essential role in the history of the medium. For this reason, the exhibition highlights a number of unsung Finnish photographers, thus proving that the history of Finnish photographic art has more facets than has previously been thought.

The exhibition will feature works by, for example, Vilho Setälä, Erik Blomberg, Eino Mäkinen, Otso Pietinen, a group of photographic artists called Fotograafikot, and contemporary photographers including Marko Vuokola, Timo Kelaranta, Niko Luoma, Ea Vasko and Nanna Hänninen.

The curator of the exhibition is photographer Laura Nissinen, who is writing her dissertation for Aalto University on the subject "Abstraction in Finnish Art Photography".

 

The exhibition includes photographs from the following artists: Joonas Ahlava, Erik Blomberg, Allan Grönvall, Lars von Haartman, Fredrick Hackman, Tron Hedström, Nanna Hänninen, Heini Hölttä, P. O. Jansson, Appu Jasu, Martti Jämsä, Tuukka Kaila, Keijo Kansonen, Hannu Karjalainen, Pertti Kekarainen, Timo Kelaranta, Renja Leino, Kira Leskinen, Noomi Ljungdell, Niko Luoma, Annikki Luukela, Sami Luukkanen, Jaana Maijala, Man Ray, Timo Marila, László Moholy-Nagy, Eino Mäkinen, Pekka Niittyvirta, Heikki Paaer, Ulla Paakkunainen, Otso Pietinen, Reijo Porkka, Juhani Riekkola, Noora Sandgren, Vilho Setälä, Mikko Sinervo, August Strindberg, Riitta Säkö, Matti Uusi-Honko, Ea Vasko, Aimo Vuokola, Marko Vuokola, W. W. Wilkman, Ari Yrjänä

The Finnish Museum of Photography
1st floor

The Cable Factory, Kaapeliaukio 3, Helsinki

1.11.2017–21.1.2018
Images
Address
Kämp Galleria
Mikonkatu 1, 00100 Helsinki
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Opening hours
Mon–Fri 11am–8pm, Sat–Sun 11am–6pm
Tickets
16/6/0 €
Museokortti
Under 18 y.o. free admission
Address
The Cable Factory
Kaapeliaukio 3, 00180 Helsinki
See on the map The Cable Factory
Opening hours
Tue–Fri 11 am – 7 pm, Sat–Sun 11 am – 6 pm
Tickets
12/6/0 €, 16/6/0 € from January 1st 2024
Museokortti
Under 18 y.o. free admission