A major Camera Obscura exhibition of photographic artist Marja Pirilä at the Kuntsi Museum of Modern Art

Photographic artist Marja Pirilä’s exhibition takes visitors into a world of light and photography, where the everyday and the magical intertwine. Pirilä is particularly known for her long-standing and distinctive artistic exploration of the camera obscura phenomenon.

Over more than 30 years, she has developed a distinctive way of working that has resulted in a recognisable visual language in which reality appears layered, poetic, and full of surprises. In Pirilä’s works, light, space, memory, and experiences of presence intertwine in ways that invite viewers to look at their surroundings from a new perspective. The almost magical phenomenon has fascinated artists and scientists for centuries, from Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) to Canaletto (1697–1768).

Everything starts with light

For Pirilä, everything starts with light, and she has built her distinctive artistic expression around the study of light. Drawing on both her artistic practice and her background in biology, Pirilä describes how wonder, experimentation and a meditative form of concentration led her to the camera obscura.

In Pirilä’s works, the interplay of light, space and time creates new realities. As interior spaces merge with the surrounding world, familiar views become intriguing and mysterious. Pirilä’s works invite viewers to pause, look at their surroundings with fresh eyes, and experience the power of light in a new way.

Extensive bodies of work on display

The exhibition at the Kuntsi Museum of Modern Art features five extensive bodies of work. The exhibition features the ongoing Interior/Exterior series, which began in 1996 and in which Pirilä brings together a person, their room, and the world outside to create intimate portraits. The exhibition also features I Am, which explores growth and change, and Speaking House, which examines themes of fragility and letting go. The Milavida series reflects the history of the Neo-Baroque palace built for Peter and Olga von Nottbeck in Tampere. The exhibition also features the In Strindberg’s Rooms series, which was created during Pirilä’s residency in France.

The artist’s work can also be viewed through the perspectives of influential art theorists Barthes, Derrida, and Merleau-Ponty. In Pirilä’s works, the outside world reflected into an interior space merges presence and absence. The room exists in concrete terms, while the landscape appears as a trace of something elsewhere, conveyed by light. The works invite viewers to reflect on the multilayered nature of reality and the relationship between the visible and the invisible.

A multisensory experience

Alongside the photographs, the exhibition features three-dimensional works and spatial constructions that demonstrate the camera obscura phenomenon. The multi-lens camera obscuras have been created in collaboration with photographic artist Petri Nuutinen. The exhibition is also complemented by Pirilä’s early works created with a pinhole camera, as well as a soundscape created for the exhibition by musician and composer Tapani Rinne, which deepens the exhibition’s meditative, multisensory experience.

Pirilä’s works have been exhibited widely in Finland and internationally, across Europe, Asia, and both North and South America. Her works are held in major public and private collections, and she has received several awards, including the Finnish State Award for Photographic Art (2000), the Pirkanmaa Art Award (2010), and the Alfred Kordelin Prize (2020) for her achievements in creatively developing the camera obscura technique.

The exhibition is produced by the Kuntsi Museum of Modern Art / Vaasa Museums and curated by Head of Exhibitions Maaria Salo in collaboration with the artist. The nationwide cultural education programme Art Testers has selected the exhibition for its programme for the 2026–2027 season. The exhibition has been supported by the Finnish Heritage Agency, Finnish Cultural Foundation – South Ostrobothnian Fund, Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland, Finnish Arts and Culture Agency and Veljekset Gröndahl Foundation.

The public opening ceremony of the exhibition Marja Pirilä – Camera Obscura will take place at Kuntsi Museum of Modern Art on Friday, 18 September, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The evening will feature a musical performance by musician Tapani Rinne. Welcome words will be delivered by Tomas Häyry, Mayor of Vaasa, and the opening speech will be given by Asko Mäkelä, Museum Director Emeritus of the Finnish Museum of Photography. The programme also includes a speech by the artist Marja Pirilä.