Photographic artist Ilkka Halso lives and works in Orimattila. He graduated with a Master of Arts degree in 1992. Halso’s work addresses nature and the relationship between humans and nature.
In recent years, Halso has been invited to numerous international exhibitions including the 6th Shanghai Biennale 2006, Toronto Photography Festival 2007, Arctic Hysteria – P.S.1 MoMa New York 2007, Climate Capsules – Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg 2010, Fotografia Roma 2010 – Macro Future, Sense of Place, BOZAR, Brussels 2012, DistURBANces / LandEscape, MNHA, Luxembourg 2013. Inventing Nature, Pflanzen in der Kunst, Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe 2021. He has held solo exhibitions in Helsinki, Oulu, Milan, Berlin, Leipzig, Frankfurt, Paris, Poznan, St. Gallen, Stockholm, and Malmo, among others.
In his presentation, Halso speaks about the anatomy of landscapes:
“Photographing landscapes is easy but almost impossible. The landscape is too holistic an experience to be captured in the small rectangular surface of an image.
I approach the problem of imaging from a new perspective. In my works, I deconstruct the landscape concretely by focusing on narrow profile-like layers of the landscape. The anatomical term ‘dissection’ describes the analysis of something (a dead body) by dissecting it into its parts. The analogy between photographing landscapes and anatomical study creates interesting connections.
With a metaphorical scalpel in hand, I perform a cross-section of the landscape. I slice and cut the landscape with light into sample pieces.
In the lecture, I present my work over the years. The relationship between nature and humans is often the subject of my work, viewed through the lenses of technology and science. Repairing, preserving, and storing nature are themes explored in my photographic projects.”
Explore Ilkka Halso’s website
