Northern Spell: An Exhibition of Finnish Installation Photography

Northern Spell is an exhibition of installation photography from Finland. It comprises twenty photographs by several of the premier photographic artists who have emerged in Finland since the 1990s: Andrei Lajunen, Marjaana Kella, Ola Kolehmainen and Jyrki Parantainen. The show is described as “installation photography” because of the large scale of the works involved, one piece, for example, being over eight feet wide. The Finns, like Canadians, live in a northern environment and often feel overshadowed by an all-powerful neighbour, in their case, the former Soviet Union. Since joining the European Community in 1995 they have been seeking a new geo-political, national and psychic identity. Northern Spell is being mounted in tandem with Boundaries, the Humanities Conference taking place at University College in May-June, 2002.

This exhibition is organised in co-operation with the Embassy of Finland, Ottawa and the Consulate of Finland, Toronto and in collaboration with the University of Art and Design Helsinki. Northern Spell is a part of the CONTACT 2002 Photography Festival.