Pekka Sammallahti: Arctic Mindscapes

28.02.2015 - 29.03.2015

Exhibition open every day 10-20

Vernissage on friday 27th Feb 2015
Artist talk 5pm
Exhibition opening 6pm

Pekka Sammallahti was born in Helsinki in 1947 and traveled to North for the first time when he was eleven years old. From the 1960’s on Sammallahti has spent his summers in the North. Along all the time spent in the North Sammallahti has learnt different dialects of Sami language and has since become a strong and prominent figure amongst Sami languaage and culture.

The Northern Photographic Centre has invited Sammallahti’s exhibition Arctic Mindscapes to the exhibition program of spring 2015. The theme of the exhibition takes together images of nature and people in the north of America and Europe: Saamiland, Alaska and Spitsbergen. These regions have common characteristics in the vastness of their landscapes, in the height of their skies and in their almost virgin nature where man has settled as its organic part a long time ago and where the intensive variation of seasons, light and colors creates the visual setting for life and living, the mindscape of the peoples in the Great North.

Sammallahti graduated as Master of Arts from the University of Helsinki in 1971 and became Licenciate of Philosophy in 1975. Sammallahti is emeritus professor of Sami language in the Giellagas –institute of Oulu University. Sammallahti is best known for his Sami language dictionaries.

Former exhibitions:
Gumbostrand Konst & Form, Söderkulla, Finland // 2015
Lapin maakuntamuseo // 2014
Siida Saami Museum and Nature Center, Inari, Finland // 2013-2014