I love the work of Elina Brotherus, In my opinion, she excels in all her photographic ventures. In my eyes her work is pure art, portraiture, nature at it's best. Her work touches me deeply. In her career she has reinvented her work on occasion without losing the essence of what makes her so special, so unique. She is admired for her fearlessness and her depth of vision, her work is soft and hauntingly beautiful. She is young, smart and beautiful, she is truly lovely. Whether she is shooting fashion, self portraits or her own pictorials the photos are always 100% Elina Brotherus.
E “I take pictures with a big camera and I let time pass. I think and look for a long time at every stage: when I take the photograph, before I decide to do prints, and in the darkroom. Carrying heavy equipment with you means you have to put up with some discomfort or inconvenience. Making prints requires a sharp eye and a good memory.
The slowness of the film demands that the model is relatively static. The slow shutter speeds sometimes produce visual surprises. I don’t use digital technology, because I enjoy the results I get with film and photographic paper.”
--Elina Brotherus, 2006
Green Lake 2007
Elina Brotherus, born in 1972, works in photography and video. She has a MA degree from University of Art and Design Helsinki (2000) and a MSc degree from University of Helsinki (1997). Elina Brotherus lives and works in Finland and in France.
Model Study, 22, 2007
Ms. Brotherus was shortlisted for the Ars Fennica price 2007. She received the Prix Niepce of Gens d'images in 2005, and Carnegie Art Award’s Young Artist’s Stipendium in 2003. She was shortlisted for the Citibank Photography Prize in 2002. In 2001 she received the Prix Mosaïque of Centre National de l’Audiovisuel of Luxembourg, and in 2000 the Foto Finlandia Award.
Two figures, one seated, 2006
Her first monography book Decisive Days, Valokuvia-photographies-photographs 1997-2001 was published in 2002 by Kustannus Pohjoinen, Finland. Her second monography The New Painting was published in 2005 by Next Level, UK, and is distributed by Thames and Hudson. In 2007 she published Etudes d'après modèle, danseurs, by Les éditions Textuel, Paris, and Opéra national de Paris.
Interior with a lamp, 2008Elina Brotherus Exhibition in Helsinki this Saturday!
At The
Ama Gallery
"Etudes d'après modèle, danseurs"
Saturday September 27th - October 21 2008
12:00-16:00 P.M.
Rikhardinkatu 1
00130 HELSINKI
I hope to meet some of you there!
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I am a huge fan of her work and although I was standing at the time, I almost fell off my chair when she agreed to let me profile her!
Thank you Elina for taking time out of your busy schedule and do this profile!
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To contact Elina Brotherus or obtain information on future exhibitions please contact her principal agents listed below;
Paris - Principal agent is gb agency /Copenhagen - Martin Asbaeck Projects
Enjoy!
©All photos property of Elina Brotherus, reproduction without the owners consent is prohibited
E 
That second picture is very beautiful. I once went to her exhibition and was wondering why does she always use herself as the model. Is it introspection, just practical or something else?
ReplyDeleteI love the first and second photos! The first one gives me a sense of triumph of being one with the world. The second makes me feel as if I am truly becoming a part of nature a feeling of oneness perhaps even solidarity with nature. They
ReplyDeleteare very powerful images!
To touch on your question, I hope Elina will read these comments and perhaps enlighten us herself. But
I have read in other interviews that she was at first hesitant to the idea of investigating her own life. But once she completed her science degree, she felt the freedom to do so and she delved into her photography and she experienced ‘a tremendous burst of creativity“, the result was a series of self-portraits, ‘Das Mädchen sprach von Liebe’ between 1997 and 1999. Those photos actually capture events and happenings in her life as they happened. In 1997 ‘Wedding Portraits’ when she married, 1998 ‘Divorce Portrait’ when she divorced, and in 1998 ‘I Hate Sex’ because at the time she felt that way.
That is the reason I love her work. I feel through her words as well as through her photography. She is so unique.
(Helena, you see if you knew me you would know that I talk A LOT! :-))
Charlie - these are beautiful - her work is stunning - thank you so much for sharing and on another note - thank you so much for you kind words on HIF blog post on where had I gone - hugs to you bug and fear not - I'm still here - just not as often.
ReplyDeleteSmiles
Felicity
Oh Felicity, How good to hear from you! I am so happy that you like Elina's work, it really touches me I love her work! Not to mentio that she is lovely!
ReplyDeleteI have missed you! And your amazingly beautful blog. But I understand. Hugs!!! Take good care of yourself and your gang!