Dénes Farkas (EE, b. 1974) is an Estonian photo and installation artist whose work explores the relationship between image and text, visual representation, and the structures that shape human experience. His practice often avoids direct depictions of people, instead using constructed environments and objects to reflect social systems. In 2013, Farkas represented Estonia at the 55th Venice Biennale with Evident in Advance, an installation examining language, knowledge, and interpretation.

Presented by Tütar Gallery, Farkas’ work at Foto Tallinn derives from his research into global seed banks in Svalbard, Lebanon, and St. Petersburg. The series reflects on systems designed to preserve life under conditions of uncertainty, drawing parallels between acts of safeguarding at scientific, political, and personal levels. The artist’s fragmented images highlight the fragile nature of these structures – where survival depends upon the environment, human decisions, and time.

Artist is presented by Tütar Gallery

David Penny (UK, b. 1979) is a Manchester-based artist working with photography, moving image, and sculptural installation to explore materiality, objects, and their images. His work redefines photography’s boundaries through cameraless techniques, merging art and science in collaboration with physicists from King’s College London. His latest shows include Scatterings (The Arcade, Bush House, London); A Fallen Line of Marble Drums, (SNEHTA, Athens); and Soft Fields (Maksla XO Gallery, Riga).

At Foto Tallinn, David Penny unveils works from two of his latest series: Registrations and Accidents Happen. Using analogue photo-processing techniques, the artist strives to bridge scientific processes with artistic inquiry: working in laboratories and darkrooms, he creates photograms by exposing film to high-powered lasers, producing abstract works that probe the limits of the medium. 

Artist is presented by Maksla XO Gallery

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 pieces from the installation Double Weave: a series of sixteen
photo-objects. The work is a contemplation on the shape of negative space, the dark side of the moon, the
hollowness of a bowl. Tanttu imagines the act of weaving in cycles of receiving and releasing; if the warp
was consciousness and space, experience the weft, time would be the rhythm of weaving.

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