Backlight Photo Festival 2026
The Art of Lying
1–20 September 2026 | Tampere, Finland
Backlight Photo Festival returns to Tampere in September 2026 with the theme The Art of Lying. Curated by Anna Ruth, the festival brings together contemporary artists from around the world to examine the shifting relationship between truth, fiction, technology and photographic representation.
Through exhibitions, artist talks and public events, the festival explores how images shape our understanding of reality in an era marked by artificial intelligence, misinformation and competing narratives. Building on Backlight’s long tradition of socially engaged photography, The Art of Lying invites audiences to reflect on the power of images and the stories they tell.
Theme
Photography has never been a neutral medium. Every image is shaped by choices, omissions and interpretations. Today, the rapid development of artificial intelligence, algorithmic systems and synthetic imagery has further complicated our relationship to photographic truth.
The Art of Lying examines how truth is constructed, manipulated and contested through images. The exhibition projects explore personal, political and technological dimensions of representation, asking what remains visible, what is hidden and how visual narratives influence the ways we understand ourselves and the world around us.
Taiteilijat
Katerina Angelopoulou (Greece)
Jo Duck (Australia)
David Ellingsen (Canada)
Joel Jimenez Jara (Costa Rica / Spain)
Akshay Mahajan (India)
André Ramos-Woodard (USA)
Rafael Roncato (Brazil / Netherlands)
Sasha Velichko (Belarus / Poland)
Timo Wright (Finland / Japan)
Sheung Yiu (Hong Kong / Finland)
Amin Yousefi (Iran / UK)
Ganslmeier & Zibelnik (Germany / Slovenia / Netherlands)
Tapahtumapaikat
Vooninkisali (Väinö Linnan aukio 13)
1-20 September
Opening hours Mon-Fri 12-18 Sat-Sun 12-16
International group exhibition.
Wheelchair accessible.
Free entry.
Valokuvakeskus Nykyaika (Kauppakatu 14)
1 September – 11 October
Opening hours Tue-Fri 12-18 Sat-Sun 12-16
Solo exhibitions by Joel Jimenez Jara and Katerina Angelopoulou
Not wheelchair accessible.
Free entry.
Gallery Koppelo (Kauppakatu 14)
1–27 September
Opening hours Tue-Fri 12-18 Sat-Sun 12-15
Student exhibition developed in collaboration with Rotterdam Photo.
Uliana Abrosimenkova, Joonas Ahtikallio, Benjamin Anderson, Djo van den Assem, Rosa Huuska, Woohyuk Jung, Joel Peltonen, Aalto Puutio
Not wheelchair accessible.
Free entry.
Nekalab (Lounaantie 2)
11 September – 11 October
Opening hours Mon-Sat 9-20
Satellite exhibition
Sari Soininen, Anssi Ruuska, Patrik Rastenberger
Free entry.
All the venue locations are easily reached by foot and public transport.
Program
4 September – Seminar at Tampere University from 1pm to 4 pm
4 September (evening) – Festival Opening
5 September – Screening at Siirtymä Festival from 5 pm to 22 pm
5 September – Artist Talk: Sasha Velichko (Vooninki)
5 September – Artist Talk: Joel Jimenez (Photographic Centre Nykyaika)
12 September Curator Tour (Vooninki)
19 September – Artist Talk: Sheung Yiu (Vooninki)
20 September – Curator Tour (Vooninki)
See full program here
Produced by Valokuvakeskus Nykyaika
Collaborated by Finlayson Area / Varma, Tampere University, A-Print, Ninan kuvamaailma, Stereo:ID, Siirtymä Festival, VHS-klubi
Supported by
