Nordic
Village
2023
The Nordic Village supports emerging and groundbreaking Nordic photographers. Since 2018, the Nordic Village has exhibited numerous visual artists from Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Iceland and Finland in Helsinki and abroad.
Award-winning and innovative photographers are invited to Helsinki to participate in artists talks, workshops and seminars. The Nordic Village expo will be set up in the Art Park of Hanaholmen – Swedish-Finnish Cultural Centre from August 4th-October 1st, 2023.
For the group exhibitions the Nordic artists get selected through a jury of photography professionals and curators responsible for the festival’s open call contest. The theme in 2023 is Courage.
A Nordic seminar with prominent visual artists, curators, gallerists, photography teachers, photo editors and book publishers will be organised on September 29, 2023 at ANNANTALO – Arts Centre for Centre for Children and Young People.
The Nordic Village is a talent platform fostered by Helsinki Photo Festival.
2022
In 2022, the Nordic Village expo is set up in the art park of Hanaholmen – Swedish-Finnish cultural centre. The exhibition was inaugurated by the Project Director Tiinaliisa Granholm, July 7th. Emerging Swedish talent Carl-Mikael Ström’s solo exhibition for the theme Believe was curated by Rafael Rybczynski.
As a part of the Nordic Village at Hanaholmen a hybrid seminar with focus on Nordic Photograph is organised on Friday 9 September. The seminar program includes presentations by distinguished guests and speakers:
🇩🇰 Søren Solkær (Photographer), 🇩🇰 Rasmus Stenbakken (Curator, ARKEN Museum of Modern Ar) 🇸🇪 Pelle Kronstedt (Photographer and Senior lecturer, Operation Manager CFF – Stockholm), 🇳🇴 Pål Henrik Ekern (Diversity Curator, Preusmuseum, Norway’s National Museum of Photography), 🇳🇴 Rune Ersker (Documentary photographer and Editor Norwegian Journal of Photography) 🇫🇮 Konsta Punkka (Nature Photographer, Nikon Ambassador) 🇫🇮 Stefan Bremer (Photographer, Lecturer and Viusal Artist) and ISL Katrin Elvarsdottir (Photographer and Co-Director – The Iceland Photo Festival).
2021
In 2021, the Nordic Village expo was set up in the art park of Hanaholmen – Swedish-Finnish cultural centre. The exhibition was inaugurated by the Project Director Tiinaliisa Granholm, July 7th. Despite ongoing pandemic the solo- and group exhibitions of the Nordic Village were visited safely by over 20.000 visitors. Emerging Finnish talent Svante Gullichsen’s solo exhibition for the theme Fearless was curated by Rafael Rybczynski.
As a part of the Nordic Village at Hanaholmen a hybrid seminar with focus on Nordic Photograph was organised on Friday 27 August. The seminar program included presentations by distinguished guests and speakers:
🇩🇰 Marianne Ager (Kunstmuseum Brandts), 🇩🇰 Fryd Frydendahl (Danmarks Fotografiske Billedkunstskole Fatamorgana) 🇸🇪 Linda Bergman (Verktidskrift)
🇸🇪 Kristyna Müller (CFF – Centrum för fotografi, Stockholm) 🇳🇴 Stig Marlon Weston (CYAN Studio collective, Oslo) 🇳🇴 Lise Kristin Kvenseth (Nordic Light Festival) 🇫🇮 Hannu Vanhanen (Backlight Photo Festival) 🇫🇮 Stefan Bremer (Photographer, Lecturer and Viusal Artist) 🇫🇮 Meeri Koutaniemi (Finnish photographer and journalist) and ISL Sigrún Alba Sigurðardóttir (Iceland University of Arts).
2020
In 2020, the Nordic Village expo was set up in the summer yard of The National Museum of Finland · Kansallismuseo. The Helsinki Photo Festival exhibitions were inaugurated by the Museum Director Elina Anttila, July 8th. Despite ongoing pandemic the solo- and group exhibitions of the Nordic Village were visited safely by over 17.000 visitors. Swedish-American Florence Montmare was exhibited in the southern corner of the summer yard while the Nordic Village was built up in the northern corner.
As a part of the Nordic Village exhibition at the National Museum of Finland, pedagogy events such as workshops, seminars and portfolio reviews were organised and held. Three day long photography workshop (August 24-26th) was led by Norwegian photographer Stig Marlon Weston, an experienced photo artist, teacher and curator. Two Nordic seminars, each lasting 3 hours, were produced in the Auditorium of the museum. The first seminar with the truly amazing Finnish photographers Arno Rafael Minkkinen and Stefan Bremer – showing through the decades of work the differences and similarities in their visions, practice and thinking. The other seminar presented accomplished Finnish photographer Elina Brotherus and emerging Finnish talent Svante Gullichsen and focused on their practices and approaches of making spectacular self-portraits.
2019
Nordic Village finalist (2018), Sebastian Sardi from Sweden, was exhibited at a curated showcase at the World Village Festival / Maailma Kylässa (2019). In the photos of Sebastian Sardi one can witness the living conditions of villagers in big coal-producing countries, who live in areas covered in coal dust and breathe the toxic air. The exhibition titled Dashed Hopes has been seen during the 2 days exposé by +30.000 festival goers.
In 2019, the Nordic Village was set up in the Nordic Culture Point, a cultural center and library in the heart of Helsinki. Three Nordic artists were exhibited: Tine Bek from Denmark, Saara Tuominen from Finland and Marcus Gustafsson from Sweden. One of the cultural event highlights, a Nordic photography seminar was held in the premises with prominent Norwegian photographer Stig Marlon Weston, Swedish Sebastian Sardi and Finnish Kalle Kataila. The Swedish artist Marcus Gustafsson held an artist talk in the library.
The legendary Art Gallery Café Rupla (closed operations January 19th 2020) in the bohemian district Kallio hosted the Nordic Village exhibitions with works of emerging Nordic photographers Neha Hirve (India/Sweden) and Jenni Toivonen (Finland). The aspiring Finnish artist Toivonen held an artist talk for a group of friends and photo enthusiasts from Monaco visiting Helsinki for the first time.
Critically acclaimed Belgian photo festival Lens op de Mens initiated contact to us. Both, us and the Fotofestival Pelt have chosen the works of Canadian photographer Arianne Clement and of the Spanish artist Jorge Lopéz Munoz to the open call winners of 2019. Carine Van Gerven, the Fotofestival Coordinator wanted to do something with us and so we came up with the idea to make a pop-up. The Nordic Village pop up was set up at the Cultural Centre of Palethe in Pelt. The artists exhibited were Tine Bek (Denmark), Svante Gullichsen (Finland), Neha Hirve (Sweden), Jenni Toivonen (Finland) and Niina Vehmaa (Finland).
2018
The first Nordic Village project at Helsinki Photo Festival was set up in the Teurastamo yard. The area is a historic abattoir and is known as Helsinki’s food and urban cultural event center. Works never shown before in Finland by emerging Nordic artists were on display, easy to approach and to explore during day and night hours. In a nearby park, Hermanninpuisto, the works of Icelandic artists were accessible. The exhibition, which was set up against a backdrop of summer events, was explored by +40.000 spectators during the summer of 2018.
ALL NORDIC VILLAGE WINNERS SINCE 2018
ICE
LAND
2022
2021
Maria Kjartans Fearless
2020
Berglind Hreidarsdottir Mutual
2018
Hörður Ásbjörnsson Love
Maria Kjartans Connection
Ómar Sverrisson Balloon Series & Reykjavik Portraits
DEN
MARK
2022
Mikkel Hørlyck Jørgen, a Mystery
Oscar Scott Carl Nanna
2021
Anne Lass Low Season
Lisa Pram Uncertainty & Possibility
Marie Bentzon Væv
2020
Mogens Kjoeller Fragments
Laura Bisgaard Krogh & Andreas Haubjerg A Question of Honor
2019
Tine Bek Komfort Skulptur
2018
Birgitta Steen Affection
Klaus Vedfelt (homepage); The Obsolute project
Lullu Scheel (homepage); Female light
Simon Dokkedal & Anders Giversen Mens Du Sov
FIN
LAND
2022
Heidi Kirjavainen An Attempt to Tame the Wild
Sami Mannerheimo Kaloleni Empowerment
2021
Jussi Puikkonen Arctic Drifting
Sari Soininen Transcendent Country of the Mind
2020
Tomas Olsen Inanimate
Maria Lax Some Kind of Heavenly Fire
Renja Nurmi Modern Faith
Heikki Humberg Rooms of Truth
2019
Svante Gullichsen Natural Outlaw (homepage)
Janne Korkko Message from Afar (instagram)
Jenni Emilia Toivonen Turning Light (homepage)
Saara Tuominen 173 days (homepage)
Niina Vehmaa Raddies (homepage)
2018
Henri Airo Keep Swimming (homepage)
Nayab Ikram In Between (homepage)
Kalle Kataila Akita (homepage)
Sami Mannerheimo Afro Sunday (homepage)
Pyry Peltola Love of my life, a short story (homepage)
Marja Saleva He is so obsessed with me (homepage)
Nita Vera What love weighs (homepage)
NOR
WAY
2022
Jonas Tislevoll K93-1091
Line Ørnes Søndergaard The Split – A Brexit love story (UK)
Torgrim Halvari Same
2021
Ingerid Jordal SHE HUNTS
Maria Konstanse Bruun Dames of Anatomy
2020
Hans Jørgen Ro Saturn Return
Geir Moseid Undertaking
Reiko Ishida Isolation
2018
SvitHaseth Laura (homepage); Nordic Dark Photography
Kai Tormod Hansen (homepage); Dead Roses
Karoline Hjort (homepage); Personals
Dev Holthe Dhunsi Rakavan (Outtake from the book)
Sofie Kjørum Austild A Body is an Agent – The Wedding
Stig Marlon Weston 1to1 (homepage); 100 Norwegian Photographers
SWE
DEN
2022
Armand Tamboly Endzeit
Lisa Lindqvist Liljedahl Food in stores / From my garden
Pär Johansson Att få vara med, att få vara någon
2021
2020
Magnus Cederlund Intime
Nadja Hallström The Last Wild Horses
Anna Ellen Hamlet Through Your Eyes I See Universe
Florence Montmare Scenes from an Island
Carl-Mikael Ström Inevitably it will rain
2019
Marcus Gustafsson Vibrant Days (homepage)
2018
Loulou D’Aki Mother of Choice (homepage)
Anna Ellen Hamlet Home Birth (homepage)
Johannes Frandsen Touch Me (homepage)
Elsa Gregersdotter This is me, looking at you (homepage)
Erik Gustafsson 21 (homepage)
Fanni Olin Dahl Inga-lill
Florence Montmare Illuminations
Sebastian Sardi Black Diamond
Jenny Rova Älskling – a self-portrait through the eyes of my lovers (homepage)
Sebastian Sardi – Black Diamond