Darkroom artist Mikael Siirilä, Helsinki, Finland.

Mikael Siirilä

I am a darkroom artist (b. 1978) based in Helsinki, Finland. My small individual photographs examine the themes of absence, presence and outsiderhood. My characters appear immersed in their inner worlds and moments of being: simultaneously absent and intensely present. The pictures also reveal the outsider’s gaze, lost in observation and reflection.

For me, the snapshot method is the superpower of photography. My pictures are true observations captured with minimal interaction with the subjects. Their origin is in the act of looking, and they feel causally connected to the world.

I am not interested in photographic projects, specific subject matter or storytelling. Instead, I seek small, quiet, poetic impressions that appear suspended in time, detached and solemn like unlabelled objects in a history museum.

The craft of printmaking is inseparable from my artistic expression. I work solely with black & white film and the darkroom. The slow, contemplative process lends the pictures a calmness. I make physical pictures I want to stare at, feel and become lost in. Again and again.

Prints

My handmade silver gelatin prints are available for order. Some framed prints may be in stock. Please contact me for framing or alternative shipping and payment methods. Please allow 1-2 weeks for preparation and shipping. Some pictures are available as high-quality posters via Paper Collective.

Contact info

Email me or use the form. Join the mailing list to stay updated about publications, events, and special editions.

Appearances

2024

Book | Here, in Absence | IIKKI Books
Feature | Le blog de Fabien Ribery | FR
Feature | Acumen Magazine | FR
Feature | Vostok Magazine | South Korea

2023
Solo show | Espacio Mados | Madrid
Group show | Wondering People | London
Solo show | Andrea Nuovo Home Gallery | Naples
Feature | Black + White Photography | UK/International
Feature | Mia Le Journal | Italy/International
Press | ilas Magazine | Italy
Press | Art a Part of Culture | Italy

2022
Solo show | InCadaqués Festival | Spain
Article | Design Stories | Finland
Interview | Situatifé Magazine | Germany
Group show | Fotomuuseumi Jaani Seegi galerii | Tallinn
Group show | Hippolyte Korjaamo | Helsinki
Article | Interview with Paper Collective | Copenhagen
Solo show | Paper Collective exhibition | Copenhagen
Article | Ninu Nina | USA
Article | Fisheye Magazine | France

2021
Article | Nostromo #3 | Spain
Article | Dodho #18 | Spain
Curated show | Fotografia Zeropixel | Italy
Article | FOTO Cult featured artist | Italy
Article | The Hand Magazine featured artist | USA

2018-2020
Curated show | Fotografia Zeropixel curated show | Italy
Article | Shoot it With Film | USA
Feature | Analog Magazine | Switzerland
Feature | LEON Magazine | Finland