Bob Bicknell-Knight (UK/EE, b. 1996) holds a BA in Fine Art from Chelsea College of Arts, and is currently following an MA programme in Contemporary Art at the Estonian Academy of Arts. Throughout his work, Bicknell-Knight explores ideas of time, control, and degradation through the lens of video games. He has held solo exhibitions in London, Berlin, Klaipėda, Kassel, Brno, Paris and Copenhagen, and has featured in group exhibitions around the world.

Bicknell-Knight’s ongoing Altars series combines hybrid paintings of clocks from different games. Starting life as digital photographs, the images are edited before being printed onto canvas, stretched, and painted over with acrylic paint – pulling the digital image into physical terrain. For the artist, the symbol of the frozen clocks is a means to examine how time in videogames is often fabricated and stretched. As a final step, the works are displayed within elaborate frames that have been digitally modelled, 3D printed and covered in layers of concrete. The frames reference ideas of faith, power and control, functioning as altars to time itself.

bobbicknell-knight.com

Elina Brotherus (FI, b. 1972) is one of Scandinavia’s most recognised contemporary artists, now living between France and Helsinki. Her work encompasses both autobiographical and art historical approaches, exploring the human figure, landscapes, and the artist–model relationship. Recently, Brotherus’ focus has turned to revisiting Fluxus scores, as well as to photographing in architect-designed homes. Her works are held in major international collections, including that of the Centre Pompidou, Paris.

Here, Brotherus presents photographs from the Villa Tammekann series, shot in one of the only private homes designed by Alvar Aalto outside Finland. The photographs reflect on the house’s layered history and the Tammekann family’s forced departure in 1940: as the series unfolds, bright summer light contrasts with a growing sense of darkness, evoking absence, memory, and the quiet tension of imminent loss.

Artist is presented by Gallery Halmetoja

Ananya Tanttu (FI, b. 1994) is a Helsinki-based visual artist. She holds a BA from the Lahti Institute of Design, and is currently pursuing an MFA in Time and Space Arts at the Academy of Fine Arts, Helsinki. Tanttu’s practice, through which she weaves text and elements of installation, is primarily lens-based. Her works can be found in both public and private collections, whilst she has exhibited in several solo and group exhibitions in both Finland and abroad.

At Foto Tallinn, Tanttu showcases A Book of the Sublime (A Dream Within a Dream): an extensive A2-sized conceptual book, encompassing 56 photo collage works and accompanying keyword lists. The project is a study on the relationship of the subconscious to the materiality of one’s environment, as well as the cyclical dimension of time.

Artist is presented by The Academy of Fine Arts, Helsinki

Agate Tūna (LV, b. 1996) is a multidisciplinary artist from Riga, Latvia. She holds both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the Art Academy of Latvia, where she studied in the Department of Painting before following the interdisciplinary POST programme. Additionally, Tūna graduated from the ISSP School of Photography in 2022.

Shown at Foto Tallinn, Tūna’s newest series FAMILIAR / LĪDZBŪTNE explores the concept of a paranormal non-human companion – a being that is permanently attached to a witch, or another practitioner of magic. The structure of this relationship is based on long-term coexistence: often, the ‘familiar’ is believed to take the form of an animal, such as a cat, a bird, a dog, or a toad. The series strives to create a photographic image in this mode of coexistence: a presence that follows along and changes with the medium.

Artist is presented by ASNI Gallery

Antti J. Leinonen (FI, b. 1976) is a photographer and visual artist working between documentary photography and fine art. His work explores relationships between people, the environment, and culture, often rooted in northern landscapes and local perspectives. Known for his long-term projects, Leinonen’s practice emphasises quiet observation and subtle humour. In 2024, his photobook Pyynti was awarded the prize for the most beautiful book in Finland.

At Foto Tallinn, Leinonen presents photographs from his award-winning and internationally-exhibited Pyynti series, which portrays a livelihood in Northern Finland that has become increasingly rare. The project orbits a community of fishermen, who earn their living in challenging conditions. For many, though, fishing is more than a profession – it is an essential way of life, passed down through generations.

Artist is presented by Gallery Halmetoja