Chained to Light

7.12. - 19.4.2025

Valoon kahlitut (Chained to Light) is a monument to the career of the pioneer in photography Julia Widgrén (1842–1917). The exhibition pauses to look at Widgrén’s life and photographs, and to examine the worldviews that emerge from behind them. The focus of the exhibition revolves around the development of photography in Finland, women’s active role in the early photography, and images of people in the countryside, especially women. The exhibition’s slow techniques pay homage to the craftsmanship of the photographic profession in the 19th century. Widgren, who began her career in the 1860s, was one of the most successful photographers in Finland. She lived an exceptionally independent life as a woman and entrepreneur in Vaasa. Her most well known photograph is the iconic photo of Antti Isotalo and Antti Rannanjärvi in shackles, taken in 1869. Isotalo and Rannanjärvi were infamous knife-fighters, part of the “puukkojunkkari” phenomenon in the 19th century South Ostrobothnia. The exhibition consists of archive photos, contemporary photography, object installations, textile works, drawings and videos.

The exhibition is created by a multidisciplinary working group, which includes Anne-Mari Ahonen, Heta Kaisto, Hanna Koikkalainen, Hanneriina Moisseinen and Anne Puumala. The exhibition is curated by Heta Kaisto and Anne-Mari Ahonen is responsible for the exhibition design. The working group dedicates the exhibition to collector Jouko Alanko.