Senja Sollén ^{Emerging artist}

Artist's country of origin: Finland

I began my artistic career 12 years ago and quickly learned to work with a variety of techniques, including etching, linocut, painting, drawing, design, clay, and photography. Among these, photography became my first true passion. This led me to enroll in a visual arts program at LUCA School of Arts in Belgium, where I majored in photography.

During my studies, I started experimenting with analogue photography and quickly fell in love with the process. For my master’s degree, I created a photographic book, called Birch Tree. Birch Tree featured analogue images of northern Sweden and Finland, developed on-site using a mobile lab. This was nominated for the Wanntoe Award (the 10 best graduating artists in the region where I studied) and I exposed it in C-Mine Genk (BE), Kasteel der Beken, Gent (BE) and in Studio Tabac, Stockholm (SWE).

Eager to further develop my artistic practice, I enrolled in a second master’s program at the Umeå Academy of Fine Arts. While I had previously explored installation art, I began to incorporate sculpture more intentionally into my work. During this time, I experimented with materials such as wax, clay, glass, metal, wood, and scent, discovering a deep appreciation for creating sculptural pieces that complement one another.

I also frequently explore cyanotype processes, including the creation of large-scale prints directly on glass plates. I created a large cyanotype glass plate that is 110cm by 80cm. Due to the intricate and advanced nature of this technique, it is uncommon to see prints made on plates of this size. The project is called Below the Horizon which is exhibited in Bildmuseet till August 17 2025. Below the Horizon has been awarded the Västerbotten Region (Alva Gallery) grant. Although I now primarily identify as an experimental installation artist, my roots lie in alternative and experimental printmaking.