Helsinki Contemporary (FI). Located in the heart of Finland’s capital, Helsinki Contemporary exhibits distinguished contemporary art by emerging and established artists from Finland and abroad. Working internationally – with a strong curatorial emphasis – the gallery prioritises long-term collaboration with its artists; employing a range of artistic media, artists with an ambitious, in-depth approach form the core of the gallery’s programme. Helsinki Contemporary was founded first as Gallery Kalhama & Piippo Contemporary in 2007, continuing in its current form 2011. Currently, the gallery represents 28 Nordic artists.
Helsinki Contemporary’s display at Foto Tallinn highlights the work of Finnish artist Emma Sarpaniemi. For Sarpaniemi, places, found objects, pieces of clothing and accessories often provide the starting point for her performative self-portraits. Through photography, she explores the notion of womanhood and challenges conventional definitions of femininity. The shutter release cable, often clearly visible in her photos, becomes a symbol of the subject’s control over their own image. In her work, the characters Sarpaniemi depicts often represent parts of the artist’s own identity, bridging reality with the imagined.
