The Finnish Museum of Photography Shows "Alice in Wonderland"

Written by Herschel Vandermeyer Saturday, 16 July 2011 23:11

Helsinki.- The Finnish Museum of Photography is proud to present "Alice in Wonderland" an international exhibition of contemporary photographic art, on view until December 18th. The exhibition is part of the city of Turku's Capital of Culture 2011 programme and takes place in Logomo, Köydenpunojankatu 14, Turku. Fantastic everyday life and everyday fantasy blend in Alice in Wonderland, a major international exhibition of contemporary photographic art in Turku, the European Capital of Culture 2011, designed and implemented by the Finnish Museum of Photography, with the support of the Turku 2011 Foundation. The display of works of 31 artists set up in Logomo, a former engineering workshop, makes for a delightful viewing experience.

The Alice in Wonderland exhibition is a tribute to Turku as the home of photographic art and surrealism in Finland. On view through December 18th.

The name of the exhibition refers to Lewis Carroll's famous book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865), in which a girl falls down a rabbit hole and ends up in strange places. Like the book, the exhibition moves from depictions of everyday life to fantasy worlds created or presented by the artists, and life is manifested as a ceaseless wavering on the borderline between these two domains. Fantastic everyday life and everyday fantasies meet in a way that challenges viewers to make new interpretations and adopt fresh perspectives. The authors also introduce the term fantasy feminism into the field of art, to offer an updated alternative to existing feminist art. Instead of showing us everyday life and its regular forms, the contemporary artists look for their own space, which can take the form of imagining things, as in Alice in Wonderland.

As the exhibition shows, the slogan "the personal is political" has been replaced by "the private is public". Today, the portrait and self-portrait are increasingly becoming carefully controlled identity building projects, with the internet acting as their effective distribution channel. This world, with its "carnival of images", is commented on by many of the exhibited artists in many different ways. Artists featured in the exhibition include, Claudia Angelmaier, Atelieri O. Haapala, Evan Baden, Thorsten Brinkmann, Elina Brotherus, Saara Ekström, Melinda Gibson, Hanna Haaslahti, Sasha Huber, Ulla Jokisalo, Marjaana Kella, Anni Leppälä, Susanna Majuri, Ján Mancuška, Christian Marclay, Juhana Moisander, Trish Morrissey, Laurel Nakadate, Naphouse, Zed Nelson, Anneli Nygren, Tuula Närhinen, Alain Paiement, Nelli Palomäki, Hyun-doo Park, Riitta Päiväläinen, Harri Pälviranta, Tuomo Rainio, Sanni Seppo, Jemima Stehli and Liu Susiraja.




The Finnish Museum of Photgraphy´s exhibitions show captivating moments from the history of photography, from the 1840´s up to the present. The exhibitions deal with Finnish and international topics. The smaller Project room is intended for presenting new artists and projects, and the Process concentrates on educational exhibitions and activities. Travelling exhibitions are also produced from the museum´s own collections to be shown both in Finland and abroad. The archives contain a wide range of documents: newspaper cuttings; and documentation from photographers and photographic organizations. The archives also contain other kinds of documentary material, such as sound recordings, films, printed invitations, and posters. The object collection comprises 3500 items, including cameras and photographic instruments. The archive collections are shown as part of the permanent exhibition, in special exhibitions and on the museum´s website. The conservation unit maintains the museum´s collections and disseminates information about the safe preservation of photographs. In this leaflet, you will find answers to the most frequent questions about taking care of photographs. The aim of the museum´s education work is to support and promote ways of learning, doing and experiencing with photography. Guided tours, workshops, meetings with artists and lectures attract people of all ages to learn more about the past and present of photography. The museum in located in the Cable Factory, which is a cultural space belonging to the City of Helsinki. The museum has a total of 900 m2 of floor area for exhibitions. The entire museum, with its exhibition spaces, offices and archives covers 3000 m2. The museum interiors were designed by the Alli and Valvomo studios in 1999. Visit the museum's website at ... http://www.valokuvataiteenmuseo.fi

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