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Exhibition info

UNLIMITEDLY YOURS - Painting With Camera
by
Ahti KOTISAARI

Laterna Magica Gallery 12 - 30 December 2000, Address: Rauhankatu 7, 00170 HELSINKI, FINLAND, Mon - Fri 10 - 18 Sat 10 - 15, www.laterna.net

I believe I have finally found a way to free the photographic expression from unnecessary naturalistic burden - without loosing its documentary nature. Using the camera in a new way, the photographic images turned into "paintings"! The dull copying of the "reality" with its endless number of gratuitous details - so often disruptive to the composition and the feeling of the image - were suddenly swept away, and in a way I saw my emotions in the camera viewfinder! My own mind was strongly present in the view, when I used the camera in the new way. The images presented in the Laterna Magica exhibition are very personal records of a short period in my life. Because it was something that everybody is dreaming of, my sincerest hope is they evoke a tiny bit of similar response in those who have a choice to see them.

Having worked tens of years according to the conventional photography the new approach was astonishing, and it took me completely. This exhibition is showing some results of that surprise, and I will continue to apply the method to new themes.

The new imaging method was emotionally strong and often unexpected during the act of taking images. The correspondence between the image in the camera viewer and the emotional image of my mind worked as the criterion for pressing the button. - A few weeks later I had finished taking these images I was introduced to the films of Aleksandr Sokurov, a Russian film maker. Sokurov claims he is "fighting against the details of the reality to make room for his mental image." I had heard nothing about him that far, but his statement describes perfectly the principle I had while photographing these images.

Although the pictures have been manufactured digitally I have used no computer aided manipulation like filters and retouching, not to speak about local (spatial) manipulation by altering, moving or adding image topics (collage). Respecting the documentary nature of photography, I used only normal lightness, contrast and hue balance regulation equally over the whole image area . - I have seen the pictures through my camera viewfinder in the same form as they are now shown as the final artworks in the exhibition.
Ahti Kotisaari, October 2000