In the Window – The Intimate Touch of the Gaze

A group exhibition by the Finnish Darkroom Association

In the Window is a group exhibition presenting photographs made using analog methods, centered around themes of nature, everyday life, and the sensitivity of the gaze. The exhibition is curated with the idea of the window not only as a physical space, but also as a metaphor for a gaze that pauses, lingers, and turns inward. The view from a window may remain the same day after day – but the light, the season, the mood, and the point of focus all shift. In much the same way, photography is born from a delicate reaction: an encounter whose uniqueness often lies in small details. The photographs in the exhibition have been created using a variety of analog techniques. On display are cyanotype, lith print, silver gelatin prints, lumen prints, platinum/palladium prints, and an applied emulsion work. These techniques invite stillness: they demand time, material, darkness, light, and quietness. These processes produce traces that can never be exactly repeated. They also represent what photography theorist Abigail Solomon-Godeau has called a “second gaze” – one associated with personal photography, a perspective that does not merely document, but communicates. The images observe the world intimately, bringing to light the small observations of everyday life. Like a photograph, a window is a pathway for the gaze and a point of connection between the world and the self. In the Window is an invitation to linger. A photograph is never just an image of the world – it is always also a trace of connection and encounter within it.

The exhibition features works by members of the Finnish Darkroom Association:

Iina Gröhn

Markku Joutsen

Katri Krohn Lassila

Vesa Mäkinen

Selina Oakes

Marko Rantanen

Katja Siirtola

Pauliina Tuomikoski