Serlachius Museums has announced today a major contemporary photography exhibition for their season 2018: Playground by Elina Brotherus. Playground focuses on Brotherus’ newest works since 2016. It includes both photographs and short videos. The exhibition is a larger version of her solo show currently displayed at The Centre national d’art et de culture Georges Pompidou in Paris. The Pompidou Centre exhibition as well as the accompanying book, Règle du jeu, are the result of her winning the prestigious Carte blanche PMU 2017 prize.

Elina Brotherus at the Serlachius Museums

Exhibition Playground from June 15th 2018 to January 6th 2019

As a starting point for her new works, Brotherus uses Fluxus event scores from the 1960’s and other instructions that artists have written to explain how a piece can be made. After 20 years of self-representation, with these performative, absurd and playful works Brotherus turns a new page in her production. The works presented in Playground have not been previously shown in Finland. The exhibition is curated by Dr Susan Bright. 

« Elina Brotherus is a well-known and much-liked artist at the Serlachius Museums. Her works were exhibited here in summer 2015 to a great success. We are enthusiastic to see Elina’s work again here in Mänttä, and hope to attract new audiences in addition to the large number of existing fans. Our wish is also to see this exhibition travel the world », says Pauli Sivonen, Director of Serlachius Museums. 

« Serlachius museums is known in Finland for their exceptional and ambitious program. They have attracted several international super-star artists, and they regularly work with top Finnish contemporary artists such as the inspiring and influencial video-artist Eija-Liisa Ahtila. I am thrilled to be given the opportunity to continue my ongoing research around event scores, first introduced in Paris with Règle du jeu, and now shown in Mänttä on an even larger scope », says Elina Brotherus. 

The exhibition Playground will take place from June 15th 2018 to January 6th 2019 at the Serlachius Museums in Mänttä, Finland. 

Serlachius Museums

The Serlachius Museums aims to be at the forefront of contemporary exhibitions, dealing with current themes and phenomena in innovative and unconventional ways. The Serlachius Foundation benefits from a diverse range of works from its own collection, such as a large private collection of Nordic masterpieces, international Old Masters and accomplished newcomers. The foundation’s team of experts actively monitor the field of international contemporary art and draw parallels between their own collection and the contemporary art of today.

Located in the heart of the beautiful lakeside and forest Finland, the Serlachius Museums enjoy a setting of pure authentic nature and thought-provoking art. The visitors are invited to discover an exciting piece of Northern culture. 

Elina Brotherus 

Born in 1972 in Helsinki, Finland, Elina Brotherus works in photography, video and film. Her work has been alternating between autobiographical and art-historical approaches. Elina Brotherus lives and works in Helsinki, Finland and Avallon, France. She has an MA degree in Photography from the University of Art and Design Helsinki (2000). She started exhibiting internationally in 1997 and her works are in major collections including Centre Pompidou, Paris, Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki, Moderna Museet, Stockholm, to name a few. 

Susan Bright 

Dr. Susan Bright curates exhibitions internationally at institutions including: Tate Britain, The National Portrait Gallery in London and The Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago amongst others. The exhibition How We Are: Photographing Britain was the first major exhibition of British photography at Tate. The exhibition of Home Truths (Photographers’ Gallery and the Foundling Museum and traveling to MoCP, Chicago and Belfast Exposed) was named one of the top exhibitions of 2013/2014 by The Guardian and The Chicago Tribune. 

Her published books include: Feast for the Eyes: The Story of Food in Photography (2017), Home Truths: Photography and Motherhood (2013), Auto Focus: The Self Portrait in Contemporary Photography (2010), How We Are: Photographing Britain (2007: co­‐authored with Val Williams), Face of Fashion (2007), and Art Photography Now (2005). She regularly writes for museums and monographic books, and contributes to numerous magazines and journals. She lives and works in Paris.