Maija Tammi (b. 1985) is a Finnish artist and Doctor of Arts, whose photographs and videos examine the liminal areas of mortality and immortality, science and art. She regularly collaborates with scientists and musicians. Tammi’s work has been exhibited extensively internationally, among others in Paris, Berlin, Rome, London, New York, and Tokyo, to date she has five published monographs.
MAIJA TAMMI
- All
- Immortal's Birthday
- White Rabbit Fever
- One of them is a Human
- Milky Way
- Empathy Machine
One of them is a Human
One of them is a Human
One of them is a Human
White Rabbit Fever
One of them is a Human
One of them is a Human
One of them is a Human
White Rabbit Fever
White Rabbit Fever
Empathy Machine
Empathy Machine
Empathy Machine
Empathy Machine
Empathy Machine
White Rabbit Fever
White Rabbit Fever
White Rabbit Fever
White Rabbit Fever
White Rabbit Fever
White Rabbit Fever
White Rabbit Fever
Immortal\'s Birthday
Immortal\'s Birthday
Immortal\'s Birthday
Immortal\'s Birthday
Immortal\'s Birthday
Milky Way
Milky Way
Milky Way
Milky Way
Maija Tammi is a Finnish artist, whose photographs and videos examine the liminal areas of mortality and immortality, science and art. She regularly collaborates with scientists and musicians. Tammi’s work has been exhibited throughout Europe, the USA, and Tokyo. To date she has published five monographs.
Tammi’s background is in photojournalism. She received her Masters in visual journalism and worked as a photojournalist for six years before her artistic career. Tammi completed her practice-based doctorate from Aalto University, School of Arts, Design and Architecture in 2017. Tammi currently holds the title, Artist Professor for the years 2020–2024. A solo exhibition of her most recent work, titled Empathy Machine is currently being presented at the Finnish Museum of Photography until 27 August 2023.
Maija Tammi’s artworks have been acquired for the permanent collections of The Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago, USA, Contemporary Art Museum Kiasma in Helsinki, Finland, and National Portrait Gallery in London, UK.
EDUCATION
2013–2017
Doctor of Arts, Aalto University, School of Arts, Design and Architecture, Finland.
2006–2010
Master of Social Sciences. University of Tampere, Finland.
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2023
Empathy Machine, Finnish Museum of Photography (Kaapelitehdas), Helsinki, Finland
2020
Immortal’s Birthday, with Charles Quevillon, Forum Box, Helsinki, Finland
Immortal’s Birthday, with Charles Quevillon, Forum Box, Helsinki, Finland
2018
One of Them Is a Human, Jarvis Dooney Gallery, Berlin, Germany
2017
White Rabbit Fever, Kana Kawanishi gallery, Tokyo, Japan
White Rabbit Fever, Matèria, Rome, Italy
White Rabbit Fever, Photographic Centre Peri, Turku, Finland
Hydra, Gallery Huuto Jätkäsaari, Helsinki, Finland
White Rabbit Fever, Kana Kawanishi gallery, Tokyo, Japan
White Rabbit Fever, Matèria, Rome, Italy
White Rabbit Fever, Photographic Centre Peri, Turku, Finland
Hydra, Gallery Huuto Jätkäsaari, Helsinki, Finland
(For full list visit artist’s webpage)
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS (SELECTION)
2023
Machine Vision, Candela Gallery, Richmond, USA
One Picture Manifesto, The Reference, Soul, South Korea
6th BIAN – International Digital Art Biennial – MUTATION, Arsenal Contemporary Art, Montreal, Canada.
2023
Machine Vision, Candela Gallery, Richmond, USA
One Picture Manifesto, The Reference, Soul, South Korea
6th BIAN – International Digital Art Biennial – MUTATION, Arsenal Contemporary Art, Montreal, Canada.
2022
One Picture Manifesto, Kana Kawanishi Photography, Tokyo, Japan
Holy Fluff, Supermarket Art Fair with gallery Sculptor, Stockholm, Sweden
BioMedia, Centre des arts, Enghien-les-Bains, France
One Picture Manifesto with gallery Matéria at Spazio Duale, Rome, Italy
The Beauty of Early Life, ZKM Center for Art and Media, Karlsruhe, Germany.
Holy Fluff, Supermarket Art Fair with gallery Sculptor, Stockholm, Sweden
BioMedia, Centre des arts, Enghien-les-Bains, France
One Picture Manifesto with gallery Matéria at Spazio Duale, Rome, Italy
The Beauty of Early Life, ZKM Center for Art and Media, Karlsruhe, Germany.
2021
Decision Making – L’instant décisif, Canadian Culture Centre, Paris, France
BioMedia, ZKM Center for Art and Media, Karlsruhe, Germany
Real Feelings, at the MU Hybrid Art House, Eindhoven, Netherlands
One of Them Is a Human at Belfast Photo Festival, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Supernatural. Sculptural Visions of the Body, Oulu Museum of Art, Oulu, Finland
Photo 2021, Melbourne, Australia
BioMedia, ZKM Center for Art and Media, Karlsruhe, Germany
Real Feelings, at the MU Hybrid Art House, Eindhoven, Netherlands
One of Them Is a Human at Belfast Photo Festival, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Supernatural. Sculptural Visions of the Body, Oulu Museum of Art, Oulu, Finland
Photo 2021, Melbourne, Australia
2020
#cute. Islands of Bliss? at the NRW-Forum, Düsseldorf, Germany
From Hereon: posthuman, nonhuman, antihuman, Australian Centre for Photography, Sydney, Australia
Real Feelings, at the House of Electronic Arts, Basel, Switzerland
White Rabbit Fever at Circulation(s), Paris, France
In Real Life at the Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago, US
From Hereon: posthuman, nonhuman, antihuman, Australian Centre for Photography, Sydney, Australia
Real Feelings, at the House of Electronic Arts, Basel, Switzerland
White Rabbit Fever at Circulation(s), Paris, France
In Real Life at the Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago, US
2019
One Picture Manifesto at the Finnish Museum of Photography, Helsinki, Finland
Valkoinen Pupu, LOOP Festival with the Jarvis Dooney Gallery, Barcelona, Spain
One of Them Is a Human at Getxophoto, Bilbao, Spain
One of Them Is a Human at Gibellina Photoroad, Gibellina, Sicily
Coexistence, Kiasma, Museum of Modern Art, Helsinki, Finland
Valkoinen Pupu, LOOP Festival with the Jarvis Dooney Gallery, Barcelona, Spain
One of Them Is a Human at Getxophoto, Bilbao, Spain
One of Them Is a Human at Gibellina Photoroad, Gibellina, Sicily
Coexistence, Kiasma, Museum of Modern Art, Helsinki, Finland
2018
Body Politics, Kana Kawanishi Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
OFF festival, Bratislava, Slovakia
New Chic, at the Riga Photomonth, Riga, Latvia
True Beauty, at the Stedelijk Museum, Breda, Netherlands
OFF festival, Bratislava, Slovakia
New Chic, at the Riga Photomonth, Riga, Latvia
True Beauty, at the Stedelijk Museum, Breda, Netherlands
2017
New Voices, Light Work, Syracuse, US
Taylor Wessing photographic Portrait Prize 2017, National Portrait Gallery, London, UK
Nucleus, Noorderlicht Photofestival, Groningen, Netherlands
White Rabbit Fever at Landskrona Foto Festival, Landskrona, Sweden
Rules, Ascriptions, Kana Kawanishi Photography, Tokyo, Japan
Milky Way at Tokyo International Photography Festival, Tokyo, Japan
Taylor Wessing photographic Portrait Prize 2017, National Portrait Gallery, London, UK
Nucleus, Noorderlicht Photofestival, Groningen, Netherlands
White Rabbit Fever at Landskrona Foto Festival, Landskrona, Sweden
Rules, Ascriptions, Kana Kawanishi Photography, Tokyo, Japan
Milky Way at Tokyo International Photography Festival, Tokyo, Japan
(For full list visit artist’s webpage)
VIDEO PERFORMANCES (SELECTION)
2020
Video/performance The 1m3 of the Human Experiment w/Charles Quevillon. Kiasma Theatre, Helsinki, Finland
2018
Video/performance The 1m3 of the Human Experiment w/Charles Quevillon. Our Festival, Tuusula, Finland
Concert on cancer w/Pekka Kuusisto, Perttu Haapanen, Suvi Savolainen & Jukka Huitila, Wigmore Hall, London
(For full list visit artist’s webpage)
FILM FESTIVALS
2023
The Problem of the Hydra – Minimal Short Film Festival, Trondiem, Norway.
2022
The Problem of the Hydra – AFO, International Festival of Science Documentary films, Olomouc, Czech Republic
The Problem of the Hydra at REGARD – Saguenay International Short Film Festival, Canada
2021
The Problem of the Hydra was featured at the following film festivals:
Festival Tous Courts, Aix-en-Provence, France, Les Ecrans Documentaires, Arcueil, France, Kassel Documentary Film and Video Festival, Kassel, Germany, Belo Horizonte International Short Film Festival, Brazil, Imagine Science Film Festival, New York City, USA, Nordisk Panorama, Malmö, Sweden, Helsinki International Film Festival, Helsinki, Finland, Sarajevo Film Festival, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, THIS IS SHORT, European Short Film Network, Hot Docs 2021, Toronto, Canada, DocPoint 2021, Helsinki, Finland, Unheroic Labours #2 at Ouroboros, Finnish Institute in Estonia’s film program, Tallinn, Estonia
BOOKS
2023
Hulda & Lilli, published by Kult Books
2020
Artbook Immortal with Ville Tietäväinen, Aalto ARTS Books
2017
Artbook White Rabbit Fever, Bromide Books.
Sick Photography; Representations of Sickness in Art Photography, Aalto ARTS books.
2014
Artbook Leftover/Removals, Kehrer Verlag
COLLECTIONS
Fondazione Orestiadi, Gibellina, Italy
Contemporary Art Museum Kiasma, Helsinki, Finland.
The Finnish State Art Commission, Finland
Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago, USA
Contemporary Art Museum Kiasma, Helsinki, Finland.
National Portrait Gallery, London, UK
Light Work Collection, Syracuse, US
Private collections in Helsinki, Kauniainen, Turku, London, New York and Taipei.
AWARDS AND RESIDENCIES (SELECTION)
2023
Cité Internationale des arts, Paris, France
2022
Winner of the Short Film Competition – AFO, International Festival of Science Documentary films, Olomouc, Czech Republic
2021
New Point of View: Audience Award, THIS IS SHORT, European Short Film Network
2020
Edvard Richter Award for the book Immortal, Finnish Art Society, Finland
2019
Artist Professor 2020–2024, five-year grant and a title, Arts Promotion Centre Finland
2018
Young Artist Award, Finnish Art Society
2017
John Kobal New Work Award
Taylor Wessing photographic Portrait Prize (Third prize)
2016
Light Work Artist-In-Residence, Syracuse, USA
(For full list visit artist’s webpage)
AWARDS AND RESIDENCIES (SELECTION)
2022
Winner Short Film Competition – AFO, International Festival of Science Documentary, Olomouc, Czech Republic
2020
Edvard Richter Award for the book Immortal, Finnish Art Society, Finland
2017
John Kobal New Work Award
Taylor Wessing photographic Portrait Prize (Third prize)
2016
Light Work Artist-In-Residence, Syracuse, USA
Nominated Deutsche Börse Foundation Photography Prize 2017, long list
(For full list visit artist’s webpage)