Backlight Photo Festival

11/09/2026

Backlight Photo Festival is up and running! ✨

All of the festival exhibitions are now open – welcome to explore them at Vooninki in the Finlayson area, Photographic Centre Nykyaika, Gallery Koppelo and Nekalab.

Photography has always played with the boundaries between reality and representation. Today, surrounded by AI-generated images, deepfakes and an endless flow of digital content, questions about what we see, what we believe and what we remember feel more relevant than ever.

Backlight'26 – The Art of Lying brings together works that embrace this uncertainty – mixing past, present and future, memory and digital traces, fact and fiction.

Please note that the exhibitions are open for different lengths of time:
📍 Vooninki – until 20 September
📍 Gallery Koppelo – until 27 September
📍 Photographic Centre Nykyaika – until 11 October
📍 Nekalab – until 11 October

A huge thank you to all the artists, curators, collaborators, venues, volunteers and everyone who has helped make this festival happen. And thank you to everyone who has already visited – we hope to see many more of you! ❤️

Thank you to our supporters:
, Otto A. Malm Lahjoitusrahasto

The images in this post show works from the Vooninki exhibition:
1. Sheung Yiu in the foreground, Rafael Roncato .roncato in the background
2. Jo Duck in the foreground, André Ramos-Woodard and Ganslmeier & Zibelnik further back
3. André Ramos-Woodard
4. Sasha Velichko
📸 Liisa Mäkinen

.alue

10/09/2026

Ganslmeier & Zibelnik
Bereitschaft

Bereitschaft is an ongoing photography and video-based project by the artist duo Ganslmeier & Zibelnik that examines how far-right ideologies are normalised and disseminated through the mainstream visual language of social media.

In 1939, German sculptor Arno Breker created a statue titled Bereitschaft, portraying a n**e male warrior drawing a sword and symbolising preparedness for the impending call to arms faced by the German people. In 2023, the sculpture became an obsession on TikTok.

Through their video work and accompanying photography series, the artists delve into the glorification of the “sculpted” male physique and the advocacy of self-discipline within TikTok fitness trends, examining how these inclinations mirror fascist tendencies and serve as symptoms of a right-wing ideological shift.

On view at Backlight Photo Festival 2026
1–20 September 2026
Vooninki, Väinö Linnan aukio 13, Tampere
Opening hours: Mon–Fri 12–18, Sat–Sun 12–16
Wheelchair accessible
Free entry

08/09/2026

Welcome to the Curator Tour of the Backlight Photo Festival’s main exhibition next Saturday 12.9. at 2pm! The tour takes place at Vooninki in the Finlayson area. The event is in English.

Another Curator Tour will be held on Sunday 20.9. at 2pm and will be in Finnish.

The curator Anna Ruth will introduce the exhibition and tell about the artworks.

The artists of the main exhibition:
Akshay Mahajan
Amin Yousefi
André Ramos-Woodard
David Ellingsen
Ganslmeier&Zibelnik
Jo Duck
Rafael Roncato
Sasha Velichko
Sheung Yiu
Timo Wright

📍Vooninki, Väinö Linnan aukio 13

📸 Jo Duck

.alue

08/09/2026

Backlight 2026: Satellite Exhibition at Nekalab

The Backlight 2026 satellite exhibition opens at Nekalab this Friday!
Featuring works by Sari Soininen, Anssi Ruuska and Patrik Rastenberger, the exhibition extends the festival beyond its main venues and into the Nekala neighbourhood.

📍 Nekalab, Lounaantie 2, 3rd floor, Tampere
📅 11 September–11 October 2026
🕘 Mon–Sat 9–20
🎟 Free entry

📸 Anssi Ruuska

.ruuska

04/09/2026

Today is the Day ✨
Today we celebrate the official opening of the 14th Backlight Photo Festival with opening seminar and evening festivities.

Opening seminar
13-16 at Tampere University

Official openings
18-20 Nykyaika & Gallery Koppelo
19-21 Vooninki

Come and celebrate with us 💚

.jj .roncato

02/09/2026

ARTIST TALK: JOEL JIMENEZ JARA

Join us for an artist talk with Joel Jimenez Jara on Saturday 5 September at 15:00 at the Photographic Centre Nykyaika.

Joel Jimenez Jara will talk about his practice and his exhibition Glimmers, Feathers and Staring Skies, presented as part of Backlight 2026.

📍 Photographic Centre Nykyaika, Kauppakatu 14
🗓️ Saturday 5 September
⏰ 15:00

The artist talk is free and open to everyone. Welcome!
jj

02/09/2026

ARTIST TALK: SASHA VELICHKO

Join us for an artist talk with Sasha Velichko on Saturday 5 September at 13:00 at Vooninki.

Sasha Velichko will talk about her artistic practice and her work State of Denial, presented as part of the Backlight 2026 main exhibition.

📍 Vooninki, Väinö Linnan aukio 13
🗓️ Saturday 5 September
⏰ 13:00

The artist talk is free and open to everyone. Welcome!

.alue

02/09/2026

Backlight 2026 on avautunut yleisölle – ja Aamulehti kävi katsomassa, mistä festivaalissa on kyse!

Kolmen vuoden tauon jälkeen Backlight on jälleen Tampereella. Tämän vuoden The Art of Lying -teema johdattaa pohtimaan totuutta, fiktiota ja valokuvaa tekoälyn aikakaudella.

Näyttelyt ovat nyt avoinna:

📍 Vooninki — 1.–20.9.
Väinö Linnan aukio 13

📍 Valokuvakeskus Nykyaika — 1.9.–11.10.
Kauppakatu 14

📍 Galleria Koppelo — 1.–27.9.
Kauppakatu 14

⚠️ Nekalabin satelliittinäyttely avautuu 11.9.
Lounaantie 2

Kaikkiin näyttelyihin on vapaa pääsy.

Lue Aamulehden juttu ja tule itse katsomaan, mitä näyttelyissä tapahtuu. 💛

Poimimme Tampereen Backlight-valokuvafestivaalista kolme kiinnostavaa taiteilijaa.

01/09/2026

…AND WE ARE OPEN! 🎉✨

After three years, Backlight Photo Festival is back in Tampere!

Today, 1 September, the festival exhibitions open their doors across the city. Come and explore The Art of Lying – this year’s theme examining truth, fiction, technology and photographic representation in the age of artificial intelligence.

📍 MAIN EXHIBITION – Vooninki
Väinö Linnan aukio 13
1–20 September
Mon–Fri 12–18, Sat–Sun 12–16

An international group exhibition featuring works by Katerina Angelopoulou, Jo Duck, David Ellingsen, Joel Jimenez Jara, Akshay Mahajan, André Ramos-Woodard, Rafael Roncato, Sasha Velichko, Timo Wright, Sheung Yiu, Amin Yousefi and Ganslmeier & Zibelnik.

📍 EXHIBITIONS – Valokuvakeskus Nykyaika
Kauppakatu 14
1 September–11 October
Tue–Fri 12–18, Sat–Sun 12–16

Joel Jimenez Jara – Glimmers, Feathers and Staring Skies
Katerina Angelopoulou – The Fumes of Mars

📍 STUDENT EXHIBITION – Galleria Koppelo
Kauppakatu 14
1–27 September
Tue–Fri 12–18, Sat–Sun 12–15

An exhibition developed in collaboration with Rotterdam Photo, featuring works by Uliana Abrosimenkova, Joonas Ahtikallio, Benjamin Anderson, Djo van den Assem, Rosa Huuska, Woohyuk Jung, Joel Peltonen and Aalto Puutio.

📍 SATELLITE EXHIBITION — Nekalab (Please note: this exhibition opens later)
Lounaantie 2
11 September–11 October
Mon–Sat 9–20

Works by Sari Soininen, Anssi Ruuska and Patrik Rastenberger.

All exhibitions are free of charge.

Welcome to Backlight 2026! 💛
See you in the exhibitions!

📷 Sheung Yiu

.alue .jj .roncato

27/08/2026

The Backlight opening weekend starts next week!

Join us on Friday 4 September for the Backlight 2026 opening seminar at Tampere University, one of the highlights of the festival’s opening weekend programme.

In collaboration with Tampere University, the seminar explores different ways of reflecting on photographic truths through the notion of metamorphosis, the interrelations between visual AI and photography, and artistic reflections on where the lie lies. The artists Joel Jimenez Jara and Sasha Velichko will discuss the festival’s theme together with curators Anna Ruth and Dana Benlakhdar.

Free entry!

📍4 September, 1–4 pm
Linna Building, Väinö Linna Auditorium K104
Tampere University, Kalevantie 5

Programme:
13–13:30 Asko Lehmuskallio: “Metamorphosis: A Forgotten Visual Technique”
13:30–14:10 Markus Sjöberg: “It Had to Be Generated: How AI Turned Exceptional Photographs into Suspects”
14:10–14:30 Coffee break
14:30–15 Maija Tammi: “The Artist’s Perspective: Where Does the Lie Lie?”
15–15:50 Panel discussion with curators Anna Ruth and Dana Benlakhdar and artists Joel Jimenez Jara and Sasha Velichko.

Photo: Joel Jimenez Jara .jj

.tammi