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

Hanaholmen Nordic Village 2022 - Helphoto 2022
Hanaholmen Nordic Village 2022 - Helphoto 2022
Hanaholmen Nordic Village 2022 - Helphoto 2022
Hanaholmen Nordic Village 2022 - Helphoto 2022
Hanaholmen Nordic Village 2022 - Helphoto 2022
Hanaholmen Nordic Village 2022 - Helphoto 2022
Hanaholmen Nordic Village 2022 - Helphoto 2022
Carl-Mikael Ström Exhibition Hanaholmen 2022 - Helphoto 22
Hanaholmen Nordic Village 2022 - Helphoto 2022
Hanaholmen Nordic Village 2022 - Helphoto 2022
Carl-Mikael Ström Exhibition Hanaholmen 2022 - Helphoto 22
Carl-Mikael Ström Exhibition Hanaholmen 2022 - Helphoto 22
Carl-Mikael Ström Exhibition Hanaholmen 2022 - Helphoto 22

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

Nordic Village Opening 2020 / The National Museum of Finland
Nordic Village Opening 2020 / The National Museum of Finland / Museum Director Elina Anttila
Nordic Village
Hanaholmen Nordic Village 2021
Hanaholmen Nordic Village 2021
Hanaholmen Nordic Village 2021
Nordic Village / Infopoint
Hanaholmen Nordic Village 2021
Hanaholmen Nordic Village 2021
Hanaholmen Nordic Village 2021
Hanaholmen Nordic Village 2021
Hanaholmen Nordic Village 2021
Hanaholmen Nordic Village Seminar 2021
Hanaholmen Nordic Village Seminar 2021
Hanaholmen Nordic Village Seminar 2021
Hanaholmen Nordic Village Seminar 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

Nordic Village Opening 2020 / The National Museum of Finland
Nordic Village Opening 2020 / The National Museum of Finland / Museum Director Elina Anttila
Nordic Village
The Nordic Village is an talent platform fostered by Helsinki Photo Festival to support emerging and groundbreaking Nordic photographers in Finland and internationally.
Nordic Village
Nordic Village / Infopoint
Nordic Village / Infopoint
The Nordic Village is an talent platform fostered by Helsinki Photo Festival to support emerging and groundbreaking Nordic photographers in Finland and internationally.
Florence Montmare / Nordic Village / Solo exhibition / Kansallismuseo
Florence Montmare / Nordic Village / Solo exhibition / Kansallismuseo
Florence Montmare / Nordic Village / Solo exhibition / Kansallismuseo
Kids Corner Helsinki Photo Festival / Kansallismuseo

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

Hrafn Jónsson (Krummi) SkRöLt

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)

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

Kicki Lundgren Winter Dip

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