Gallery Halmetoja (FI). Collaborating with artists of various disciplines, Gallery Halmetoja is specialising in Finnish contemporary art. Its exhibitions present artworks in a diverse array of media, from painting and sculpture to photography and media art. Whilst the gallery’s roots date back to 2014, it has operated from its current location in central Helsinki since 2020. Gallery Halmetoja holds exhibitions commenting on the future direction of contemporary art. The gallery appreciates visual artists who want to portray the world candidly and genuinely.
At Foto Tallinn, Gallery Halmetoja’s booth features two award-winning photographic artists from Finland. Elina Brotherus’s 2024 works, set across Alvar Aaalto’s Villa Tammekann in Tartu, explore place and state of mind through quiet, intimate gestures. Antti J. Leinonen’s photographs, meanwhile, are drawn from his Pyynti series, capturing a disappearing fishing tradition in Northern Finland – where demanding conditions shape a way of life passed down through generations.
In their works, both artists emphasise the relationship between human and environment: Brotherus through cultural space, Leinonen through nature, sharing a quiet, contemplative tone. The presentation enhances this sense of a dialogue between the two. On the longer wall, three of Brotherus’s works, Living Room, Stairs, and Ribbon Window, are installed as a cohesive sequence. On the shorter wall, Leinonen’s photographs Era, Rahja, and Karinkannanmatala, form a corresponding grouping. Nearby, a display stand presents publications by both artists and other gallery photographers.
