Tallinn Photomonth 2025. just juuri nüüd nyt

„Images hum around us. Tiny screens glowing in our palms, glossy faces passing by in the street, endless scrolls slipping through our fingers. Most we don’t even meet; they blur. But art asks us to stay. To let the picture breathe into us, to notice the air it shifts. Sometimes it whispers, sometimes it shouts. Sometimes it just waits – quietly – for us to ask: why are you here? who made you? what do you want from us?,“ describes the exhibition curator, artist, and member of the board of the Finnish Association of Photographic Artists (VTL), Hertta Kiiski.

According to the curator, the works that will be shown at the Photomonth exhibition reflect an interrogation of what photography is, not just technically, but also culturally, emotionally, and politically. “Some artists dismantle the image to explore its components; others hybridize photography with sculpture or text. Across the board, there’s a restlessness, a desire to move past the image as mere representation, toward something more layered, more alive. It’s photography unbound,” commented Kiiski. “If the show raises questions rather than offers conclusions, I consider it a success.”

Artists participating in the exhibition are Andre Joosep Arming, Cloe Jancis, Karel Koplimets, Kristina Õllek and Maria Kapajeva from Estonia, and Andrey Bogush, Karl Ketamo, Maija Tammi, Noora Geagea and Saara Ekström from Finland.

The participants were selected from more than 500 artists of the Finnish Association of Photographic Artists (VTL) and the Estonian Union of Photography Artists (FOKU). Alongside curator Hertta Kiiski, the jury included art historian and curator Marten Esko, chief curator of exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma Anna Mustonen, and art historian and founder of the Punctum Gallery Marina Rusakova.

“We were drawn to artists who treat the photographic medium not just as a way of making images, but as a way of thinking. Here, the image is not flat. It is a room, a joke, a dream you can enter,” added Kiiski.

The exhibition opens on 25 September at 18 at Hobusepea Gallery. Visitors are also invited to take part in the public programme of the exhibition. Preceding the opening, at 17, there will be an English-language curator’s tour, starting at FOKU Gallery, and on the following day, 26 September at 14, an English-language artist panel (moderated by Marten Esko) will take place at FOKU. The show runs until 19 October at Hobusepea Gallery and until 29 November at FOKU Gallery.

The exhibition is organised by the professional associations of the two countries – the Estonian Union of Photography Artists (FOKU) and the Finnish Association of Photographic Artists (VTL). The joint exhibition is part of a broader collaborative project aimed at promoting long-term cooperation between Estonian and Finnish photographic artists and curators. The project will have a next stage in the form of a follow-up exhibition in Finland in 2026.

The international contemporary art biennial Tallinn Photomonth runs from 5 September to 31 October. Its main programme features solo exhibitions by Tanja Muravskaja and Sirje Runge, an international public space exhibition, and the Estonian–Finnish collaborative exhibition. In addition, the satellite programme includes 14 diverse exhibitions in Tallinn, Tartu, and Viljandi, along with public events. Full programme: fotokuu.ee/en. The official information point of Photomonth is FOKU Gallery (Väike-Karja 10).

The main supporters of Tallinn Photomonth are the Cultural Endowment of Estonia and the City of Tallinn. Exhibitions at Hobusepea gallery are supported by the Cultural Endowment of Estonia, the Estonian Ministry of Culture and Liviko AS.

Thank you: Eckerö Line Ab Oy, Hestia Hotel Barons, Anna Niskanen, Henna Harri, Anna Airaksinen, photography magazine Positiiv.