ISLANDS – Laura Konttinen
Laura Konttinen (b. 1987) is a Helsinki-based photographic artist whose works often explore themes of memory and forgetfulness. Rather than relying on digital post-processing, she creates illusions already during the shooting process through surreal arrangements and carefully considered angles. In Konttinen’s work process, photography is not just a tool but also a material that holds a promise of reality, yet simultaneously reveals itself as only part of a staged set.
The Islands photo series consists of landscapes staged for the camera, constructed from pieces of photographs, mirrors, forgotten greeting cards with floral patterns, and the icy sands of morning beaches. The series is an expedition to an imaginary archipelago, where evolution is driven by myths, memories, and most of all, the most influential force of nature: nostalgia. Nostalgia shapes places from wrecked thoughts and disconnected fragments of reality, creating locations that are both comforting and dangerous, familiar and strange.
At the heart of the works lies the ancient idea of the island as a representation of both fears and hopes. In history and folklore, islands are places where things threatening the safe reality are kept: mental illnesses, venomous snakes, and the ghosts of the drowned. At the same time, the island is an exotic paradise where the rest of the world ceases to exist. In the Islands series, the islands are parts of the human mind where the lost present gleams with a childish glow or appear attractive through the lens of nostalgia, but upon closer inspection, reveal themselves as hollow and treacherous.
Konttinen’s works were last displayed at the Salmela Art Center in the summer of 2016, at the Salon Art Museum in 2015, and at the Bury Art Museum in England in 2015. The Islands series is being presented in its entirety for the first time at Poriginal Gallery.
The exhibition is supported by the Arts Promotion Centre Finland and the Svenska Kulturfonden.
A Mindscapes dance therapy workshop will be held during the exhibition on Sunday, September 11, from 1:00 to 2:30 PM.
For registrations and inquiries: Kaisa Selin
Translated with ChatGPT