2023 BACKLIGHT 2023
Cruel Radiance
Cruel Radiance, the 2023 edition of the Backlight festival, examines the evidential aspects of matter through photography and the moving image. From the omnipresence of particle pollution to the lasting legacies of nuclear weapons, from sub-zero temperatures to the residues of the mining industry, the exhibition sheds light on a whole variety of material elements as visual actors with singular testimonial capacities. In so doing, the stage is set for diverse visual dimensions and temporalities of violence ranging from slow cumulative processes to more abrupt conflicts. True to its title, Cruel Radiance invites the viewer to engage with a material repository of our ways of being together.
Artists: Fiona Amundsen and Kanariya Eishi (New Zealand and Japan), Solmaz Daryani (Iran/UK), Veli Granö (Finland), HNV Collective: Felicia Honkasalo, Akuliina Niemi, Sinna Virtanen (Finland), Susanne Kriemann (Germany), Noelle Mason (USA) , Ali Akbar Mehta (India / Finland), Anastasia Mityukova (Switzerland), Susan Schuppli (UK), Anaïs Tondeur (France), Toshio Fukada (Japan) & Eiichi Matsumoto (Japan)
2021 BACKLIGHT Touring exhibition
Related Realities
Backlight 2021 Touring Exhibition will be touring in Finland and abroad. The exhibition of international artists offers the visitors the opportunity to experience how artists currently visualize, understand and interpret the multidimensional relationship of art and science to space, nature and different cultures.
The theme of the exhibition emphasizes that there is not just one truth, but rather several truths, related realities. The exhibition of ten artists includes photographic prints of various sizes, large wallpaper pictures, videos, soundscapes and an interactive selfie-work based on artificial intelligence (AI).
Artists: John Angerson (England), Caroline Corbasson (France), Michel Le Belhomme (France), Sami Lukkarinen and Roope Mokka (Finland), Michael Najjar (Germany), Bianca Salvo (Italy), Aki-Pekka & Astrid Sinikoski (Finland), Daniel Stier (Germany), Sameer Tawde (India) & NASA / ESA / Edwin E. Aldrin (USA, Europe)
2020 BACKLIGHT 2020
Related Realities
The main exhibition of Backlight 2020 is Related Realities. The exhibition asks: How do different realities relate – or not – to each other? The Space Works exhibition explores and tests our relationship with outer space. The artists of the Visual Catalysts exhibition will present us how to affect to economics and consumption habits using art. Mater Semper (Certa) Est is Backlight’17-prize-exhibition about female identity by Bénédicte Vanderreydt. Light in The Tunnel exhibition brings international photographic art to the public space in the city of Tampere.
Artists: John Angerson (England), Marjolein Blom (Netherlands), Guilherme Gerais (Brazil), Chirag Jindal (New Zealand), Karl Ketamo (Finland), Sjoerd Knibbeler (Netherlands), Karina-Sirkku Kurz (Finland), Michel Le Belhomme (France), Marie Lukasiewicz (France), Sami Lukkarinen and Roope Mokka (Finland), Andrei Nacu (Romania), Sarker Protick (Bangladesh), Andy Sewell (England), Daniel Stier (Germany), Sameer Tawde (India), Carlos Trancoso (Portugal), Miia-Mari Virtanen (Finland), Saana Wang (Finland), Timo Wright (Finland), Sheung Yiu (Hong Kong), Ksenia Yurkova (Russia) & Alba Zari (Italy -Thailand)
2017 BACKLIGHT 17
Boundaries of Independence
Backlight Photo Festival is the oldest international photography festival in Finland, run by a non- profit association Photographic Centre Nykyaika in Tampere. In 2017 we celebrate our 30th jubilee under the wide theme of Independence. As in previous editions we are keeping our focus on social issues from global perspectives to individual experiences and views, hoping to challenge, expose and encourage discourses outside the mainstreams.
Artists: Zaza Bertrand (Belgium), Stefano Giogli (Italy), Zuzana Halanova (Slovakia), Sonja Hamad (Germany), Juha Arvid Helminen (Finland), Jaakko Kahilaniemi (Finland), Nina Korhonen (Finland), Mariya Kozhanova (Russia), Daesung Lee (South Korea), Hanna Lenz (Germany), Carl Sebastian Lindberg (Finland), Julien Lombardi (France), Tito Mouraz (Portugal), Sami Parkkinen (Finland), Riina Rinne (Finland), Delphine Schacher (Switzerland), Michal Siarek (Poland)
Miriam Stanke (Germany), Juha Suonpää (Finland), Bénédicte Vanderreydt (Belgium), Borko Vukosav (Croatia) & Marta Zgierska (Poland)
2014 BACKLIGHT 14
Holding Cohesion
Backlight Photo Festival 2014 continues the triennials tradition with focusing on social themes; relations between individuals, communities and societies. Backlight ´14 wants to provide thematically and functionally a platform for research and discussion about trust, and how trust and dependencies create tensions and shape cohesion in modern societies.
Artists: AHAD A.M. (Bangladesh), BASTIAN Jasper (Saksa), CAPP Kristin (USA/Namibia), DVIR Natan (Israel/USA), EBRAHIMI Saladin (Iran), ECHEVERRIA Alinka (Iso-Britannia/Meksiko), ESTOL Federico (Uruguay), FABRICIUS Anna (Unkari), GATTONI Matilde (Italia/Ranska), MEICHSNER Andreas (Saksa), MISTAL Katerina (Ruotsi), MOUNIER Nadia (Egypti), SALMI Aino (Suomi), SEGON TORRA Oriol (Espanja), VAN de VELDE Reginald (Belgia) ALVAREZ DIESTRO Manuel (Espanja/Iso-Britannia), DAHLSTEN Annika & LAAKSO Markku (Suomi), GREEN Pak (Korea), IATSIRIKAJORN Lek (Thaimaa), NIITTYVIRTA Pekka (Suomi) KERN Corinna (Saksa/Etelä-Afrikka), PENSO Alessandro (Italia), PACHECO Georges (Ranska) & ZBIERSKI Piotr (Puola)
2011 BACKLIGHT 11
Migration and Nomadic Living
Backlight 2011 Photo Festival theme and working title has been “Migration and Nomadic Living in 21st Century – Rural Traditions and Urban Hypes”. Specialists in European countries incl. Russia were invited to nominate art- and documentary-positions, rooted in diverse cultural backgrounds and speaking authentic languages in order to stimulate an intercultural dialogue on Migration and Nomadic Living in 21st Century. Artists were also welcome to submit directly to Backlight.
2008 BACKLIGHT 08
Tickle Attack
The theme of Backlight 08 Photo Festival was Tickle Attack – surveying humour, laughter, irony, paradox and absurd in the means of fine art photography and documentary projects. Photographs and video-based projects of 56 artists were chosen for the international Backlight 08 Photo Festival. The exhibition was shared by various galleries and venues; opened to the public simultaneously across Europe: in Finland, Italy, Austria and Poland.
2005 BACKLIGHT 05
Untouchable Things
The keynote of Backlight2005 is on Contemporary European Photo-Art beginning with the 1970th, enriched i.e. by historical works of August Sander, 1930th-, Lewis Carroll, 1870th- and extended by contemporary documentaries on the theme of Childhood and Youth from Iran, Israel, USA and Mexico.
Artists: Almog, Lili USA, Croitoru, Alexandra Romania Eneroth, Joakim Ruotsi, Fotiadou, Ioanna Kreikka, Granser, Peter Saksa, Gverovic, Tina Kroatia, Kakkinen, Ari Suomi, Kalafatis, Stratos Kreikka, Lapithi, Lia Kypros, Leonardo, João, Portugali, Leppäla, Anni Suomi, Lund, Brigitta Tanska, Nikolaeva, Vesselina Bulgaria, Palma, Carlos Portugali, Partanen, Jaana Suomi, Pälviranta, Harri Suomi, Rasol, Jasenko Kroatia, Roethlisberger, Comenius Sveitsi, Sundheim Jens ja Bernhard Reuß,Saksa, Trullo, David Espanja, Valla, Titta Suomi & Zak, Pawel Puola
Videoclip from Backlight 2005
2002 BACKLIGHT 02
Critical Authenticity
Introduction text
The global doors open – photography goes POPlatino. Critical authenticity, the theme of the event, refers to the ability to respond and to exercise critical responsibility in authentic situations of social and ethical urgency.
Marcos Lopez from Backlight 2002
1999 BACKLIGHT 99
Document & Identity
Introduction text
Backlight´s emphasis is against mainstream and opens a remarkable sequence of international exhibitions including classic photography, installation, sculpture, collage and projection.
Finnish Documentary
Event theme in 1996 was Finnish Documentary . We had a major photography exhibition with 19 Finnish photoartits. In the seminar discussion there Raoul Grünstein, Asko Mäkelä and Inari Teinilä were conversating the situation of documentary aspect in photoart.
Morality & Religious
In 1993 we had workshops, the artists were Jashi Kleine from Germany and Heinz Cibulka from Austria. In that event there was the open discussion; NamNam 93, at the theme on Morality and Religious in Photography and Advertising (of Benetton).
Creative Reportage
In 1990 it was Danny Lyon from the US and Rifkhat Yakupov from the USSR who arrived to give lectures and teach in the workshops. Their exhibitions were displayd in Nykyaika. The theme was politically quite actual: East goes West.
Contemporary British Photography
The British photographers Martin Parr, Paul Graham and Vigtor Burgin were invited in 1987 as the first meeting`s guests in triennial of Nykyaika. Their show was arranged in cooperation with the Tampere Museum of Modern Art. The theme of the event was New British Photography.