Backlight Photo Festival

Backlight Photo Festival The Backlight Photo Festival is an international photography festival in Tampere, Finland.

The Backlight Photo Festival is an international photography festival in Finland for documentary and contemporary photo art. The Backlight Photo Festival promotes intercultural dialogue by revealing the hidden, the veiled, the lost and the forgotten. Each festival forms a new unique entity with current social theme, renewed structure and a challenging content with exhibitions and wide-ranging Symp

osium program. Main organizer: Photographic Centre Nykyaika, which has organized international photography festival since 1987 in Tampere, Finland. Nowadays festival is organized in co-operation with diverse international and national partners.

As part of Backlight Photo Festival 2026, Tropical Trauma Misery Tour by Rafael Roncato will be on view in Tampere, pres...
27/05/2026

As part of Backlight Photo Festival 2026, Tropical Trauma Misery Tour by Rafael Roncato will be on view in Tampere, presented under the theme The Art of Lying.

🗓️ 1–20 September 2026
📍 Tampere, Finland
roncato

At Backlight Photo Festival 2026, Days of Plenty: An Archive of Abundance by David Ellingsen, will be presented as part ...
21/05/2026

At Backlight Photo Festival 2026, Days of Plenty: An Archive of Abundance by David Ellingsen, will be presented as part of this year’s theme The Art of Lying.

🗓️ 1–20 September 2026
📍 Tampere, Finland

Backlight Photo Festival 2026 presents "Glimmers, feathers and staring skies”  by Joel Jimenez as part of this year’s th...
13/05/2026

Backlight Photo Festival 2026 presents "Glimmers, feathers and staring skies” by Joel Jimenez as part of this year’s theme The Art of Lying.

🗓️ 1–20 September 2026
📍 Tampere, Finland
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As part of Backlight Photo Festival 2026, People of Clay by Akshay Mahajan will be on view in Tampere, presented under t...
06/05/2026

As part of Backlight Photo Festival 2026, People of Clay by Akshay Mahajan will be on view in Tampere, presented under the theme The Art of Lying.

🗓️ 1–21 September 2026
📍 Tampere, Finland

Save the Date 🗓️ Backlight Photo Festival 1–21 September 2026This year’s edition, The Art of Lying, explores the relatio...
28/04/2026

Save the Date 🗓️
Backlight Photo Festival
1–21 September 2026

This year’s edition, The Art of Lying, explores the relationship between photography, truth and imagination in a time shaped by artificial intelligence and constructed realities.

The festival brings together 12 artists from 11 countries, offering a wide range of perspectives on how images shape the way we see and understand the world.

📍 Tampere, Finland

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Save the date 🗓️
Backlight-valokuvafestivaali
1.–21. syyskuuta 2026

Tämän vuoden festivaali, Valehtelun taito – The Art of Lying, tarkastelee valokuvan, totuuden ja mielikuvituksen välistä suhdetta ajassa, jota muovaavat tekoäly ja rakennetut todellisuudet.

Festivaali kokoaa yhteen 12 taiteilijaa 11 maasta ja tarjoaa monipuolisia näkökulmia siihen, miten kuvat muovaavat tapaamme nähdä ja ymmärtää maailmaa.

📍 Tampere

https://backlight.fi

16/04/2026

✨ SELECTED ARTISTS ✨

We are excited to present the artists selected for Backlight Photo Festival 2026, curated under the theme The Art of Lying.

The open call received 370 submissions from around the world. The selected artists reflect a wide range of perspectives on photography in a time shaped by artificial intelligence, constructed realities and shifting notions of truth.

We extend our sincere thanks to everyone who shared their work with us – your trust and critical engagement are deeply appreciated.

Warm thanks to our curators of the open call Anna Ruth , Franek Ammer and Dana Benlakhdar, for their thoughtful and dedicated work in shaping this edition of the festival.

We are proud to present the selected artists:
Katerina Angelopoulou
Jo Duck
David Ellingsen
Joel Jimenez
Akshay Mahajan
André Ramos-Woodard
Rafael Roncato
Sasha Velichko
Timo Wright
Sheung Yiu
Amin Yousefi
Ana Zibelnik & Jakob Ganslmeier

📍 Tampere, Finland
🗓 1–21 September 2026

While we await the results of Backlight’s Open Call, we take a moment to travel to Rotterdam — where we are presenting w...
24/03/2026

While we await the results of Backlight’s Open Call, we take a moment to travel to Rotterdam — where we are presenting works by photography students at Rotterdam Photo 2026.

Selected through an open call for students, Milla Radaelli and Sami Sorasalmi from Tampere University’s photojournalism programme address this year’s festival theme, Echoes of Silence – War in the Artist’s Soul, in their work.

Radaelli’s My First explores the vulnerability and intensity of first love, while Sorasalmi’s Uprooted Legacy reflects on the cultural and political significance of olive trees in Palestine.

The presentation is part of Backlight’s ongoing collaboration with Rotterdam Photo, supporting emerging artists and building connections between Finland and the Netherlands.

Later this year, the exchange continues as Finnish and Dutch students present their work at Backlight Photo Festival.

The project is supported by the Patricia Seppälä Foundation 💙.

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Odotellessamme Backlightin Open Callin tuloksia piipahdamme hetkeksi Rotterdamissa — jossa esittelemme opiskelijoiden töitä Rotterdam Photo 2026 -festivaalilla.

Opiskelijoille suunnatun avoimen haun kautta valitut Tampereen yliopiston kuvajournalismin opiskelijat Milla Radaelli ja Sami Sorasalmi käsittelevät töissään tämän vuoden festivaaliteemaa Echoes of Silence – War in the Artist’s Soul.

Radaellin My First käsittelee ensirakkauden herkkyyttä ja intensiteettiä, kun taas Sorasalmen Uprooted Legacy tarkastelee oliivipuiden kulttuurista ja poliittista merkitystä Palestiinassa.

Esitys on osa Backlightin ja Rotterdam Photon välistä pitkäjänteistä yhteistyötä, joka tukee nousevia taiteilijoita ja rakentaa yhteyksiä Suomen ja Alankomaiden välille.

Yhteistyö jatkuu myöhemmin tänä vuonna, kun suomalaiset ja alankomaalaiset opiskelijat esittelevät töitään Backlight-valokuvafestivaalilla.

Projektia tukee Patricia Seppälän säätiö 💙.

https://backlight.fi/finnish-student-works-featured-in-rotterdam-as-part-of-backlights-international-collaboration/

The Open Call for Backlight Photo Festival 2026 is now closed. Thank you 💙.We are deeply grateful to everyone who submit...
01/03/2026

The Open Call for Backlight Photo Festival 2026 is now closed. Thank you 💙.

We are deeply grateful to everyone who submitted their work.
We know how much time, care and commitment goes into preparing an application, and we truly appreciate the effort each applicant has made.

We’ve been moved by the diversity, ambition and high quality of the submissions, and by the wide range of voices and perspectives represented.

Thank you for sharing your work with us.
We look forward to the next steps.

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Backlight-valokuvafestivaalin 2026 Open Call on nyt päättynyt. Kiitos 💙.

Kiitos kaikille hakijoille. Tiedämme, kuinka paljon aikaa, ajatusta ja vaivaa hakemuksen tekeminen vaatii, ja arvostamme suuresti jokaisen hakijan panosta.

Olemme vaikuttuneita hakemusten monipuolisuudesta, kunnianhimoisuudesta ja korkeasta tasosta sekä niissä esiin nousevista näkökulmista.

Kiitos, että jaoitte työnne kanssamme.

Last chance to apply.The Open Call for Backlight Photo Festival 2026 closes soon.If you’ve been planning to apply, now i...
25/02/2026

Last chance to apply.

The Open Call for Backlight Photo Festival 2026 closes soon.
If you’ve been planning to apply, now is the moment to submit your work.

We’re looking for artistically ambitious and critically engaged projects that connect to this year’s theme, The Art of Lying.

🗓 Deadline: 28 February
🔗 Apply via Picter – link in bio

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Vielä ehtii hakea mukaan.

Backlight-valokuvafestivaalin 2026 Open Call päättyy pian.
Jos vielä mietit hakemista, niin nyt on aika toimia.

Etsimme taiteellisesti kunnianhimoisia ja kriittisesti kantaa ottavia projekteja, jotka kytkeytyvät festivaalin teemaan Valehtelun taito.

🗓 Deadline: 28.2.
🔗 Hae Picterissä - linkki profiilissa

One week left to apply.The Open Call for Backlight Photo Festival 2026 closes on 28 February.We’re looking for artistica...
21/02/2026

One week left to apply.

The Open Call for Backlight Photo Festival 2026 closes on 28 February.
We’re looking for artistically ambitious and critically engaged projects that respond to this year’s theme, The Art of Lying, and reflect on how images shape truth, fiction and belief today.

If you’ve been considering applying, this is the moment.

🗓 Deadline: 28 February
🔗 Apply via Picter – link in bio

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Vielä viikko aikaa hakea.

Backlight-valokuvafestivaalin 2026 Open Call päättyy 28. helmikuuta.
Etsimme taiteellisesti kunnianhimoisia ja kriittisesti kantaa ottavia projekteja, jotka kytkeytyvät tämän vuoden teemaan Valehtelun taito ja pohtivat kuvien roolia totuuden, fiktion ja uskomusten muovaajina.

🗓 Deadline: 28.2.
🔗 Hae Picterissä

Osoite

Tampere

Hälytykset

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