Unimagined diversity of the camera obscura

The technique of the camera obscura (Latin for »dark chamber«) was already known in ancient times. It is a dark room with a small hole in one wall through which light falls. Standing upside down on the opposite wall, you can faintly see what is outside the room on the other side of the wall with the hole. Schematically, a camera obscura is often depicted with a house, the image of which can be found upside down in the room. In a small format, such as a box, the technique is also known as a pinhole camera. Leonardo da Vinci recognized that the eye is a natural camera obscura, and centuries later the technique served as the basis for photography. But although this has been known to mankind for so long, there are still many secrets to be unlocked from the camera obscura. Finnish artist Marja Pirilä (*1957) has been exploring it since the 1990s and skillfully uses the physical properties of light for poetic art photography, sculptures and installations. From January 20 to March 17, many of her works can be seen in the exhibition Marja Pirilä: Because of Light at the Kunsthalle Helsinki.

Marja Pirilä initially studied biology before devoting herself to her fascination, photography. She has exhibited in Europe, North and South America and Asia and has won numerous prizes for her photographic work. She received the Finnish State Prize for Art Photography in 2000, the Prikanmaa Art Prize in 2010 and the €50,000 Alfred Kordelin Prize in 2020 specifically for her creative work with the camera obscura.