22/05/2026
Through the Lens of the Helsinki School - After Francesca Woodman
These three works by artists Elina Brotherus, Aino Kannisto and Mikko Rikala all pay homage to the prolific body of work by Francesca Woodman - a leading female voice in photography during the second half of the 20th century.
Exploring identity and femininity through the medium of self-portraiture, Elina Brotherus has paid homage to Francesca Woodman in a number of her photographic and video works, most directly in her re-enactment of Woodman’s photograph About Being My Model, (Providence, Rhode Island, 1976) in 2017.
In Brotherus’ Model Studies series (2002-2008) the artist’s approach is more classical, a contemplative examination of light, color and rhythm.
In Model Studies 5, Brotherus photographs herself through the reflection of a patinated mirror, alluding to Woodman’s surreal self portraits in empty interiors.
Aino Kannisto stages self-portraits in a cinematic style, capturing in them various emotional states, or mental landscapes, with a melancholic sensibility.
Woodman also imbedded in her work multiple dimensions using glass panels and mirrors.
Untitled (Sauna Window), 2015, captures the interplay of reflections and transparency of a glass windowpane, through which a woman gazes.
Rikala takes on a more philosophical approach in his series titled “Francesca Woodman”, in which his point of departure is the juxtaposition of Jose Antonio Suárez Londoño’s drawings with Woodman’s photographic works.
In this series, Rikala focuses on Woodman’s hands and gestures, as is the case in his work Reveal / Conceal, 2017.
The black-and-white diptych depicting a pair of hands, a positive and negative image are superimposed with handwritten text.
Artworks:
1. Elina Brotherus, Model Study 5, 2004, Pigment print, 105 x 85 cm
2. Aino Kannisto, Untitled (Sauna Window), 2015, Archival pigment print, 90 × 125 cm
3. Mikko Rikala, Reveal / Conceal, 2017, C-print on glass, pigment print, diptych, 30 x 24 cm
-portrait
