Outstanding! So far, Fotographiska is the best photography museum I’ve been to! And I am not talking solely about the exhibition items, I talk primarily about the way they are put on display. Experienced printers* and present-day lighting make the state-of-art display of photography!
*I mean printer as a profession, not as a piece of hardware. It takes a lot of skill to make museum-quality prints.
In this post, I am going to review the Fotografiska museum and share my first impressions. You will get to know what to expect and why I consider it one of the best places to visit in Tallinn (also, most probably, one of the best in Stockholm and New York).
Foreword
Somehow, my visit to Tallinn was a lot about photo galleries. The weather was disgusting. Deep wet snow quickly found its way into my boots, and pesky rain made it through my camera’s weather sealing. I did not share my friend’s interest in visiting bars and decided to find some things to do indoors suitable for myself.
I made it to the World Press Photo exhibition, and later, I have found out that the Fotografiska museum, which I only heard good things about, is in Tallinn (I thought it is only in Stockholm). And they have two of my favorite photographers exhibited: James Nachtwey and Sebastiao Salgado. I had to visit it!
Why is the Fotagrafiska museum significant?
Most of the photo exhibitions are quite simple. There is a lot of work put into developing prints. But do they go beyond?
You may ask, what exactly can be done? I didn’t know the answer until recently. It appears you can do a lot of things.
Prints + light
When I got to the Fotografiska gallery, at first glance, it looked like a photo is glowing from inside. It felt like these are giant electronic frames.
Seems that the print is developed while keeping the lightning equipment in mind. The equipment is installed above the photos to project the light that exactly matches the size of the print. This highlights it and produces beautiful vivid colors, high contrast black and whites.
If you are a photography lover, I think this alone makes it worth taking a look.
Exhibition environment
At the Fotografiska museum, they don’t limit themselves to the actual exhibition items. They make the whole surrounding support the photographer’s work. The exhibition of James Nachtwey’s was dark with touching music on the background, that corresponded very well with the tragic events that he covers.
I have seen a lot of James Nachtwey’s work before, but the way they are exhibited, made the experience feel fresh.
Raising awareness
I think no one can describe it better than the Fotografiska museum itself:
“Fotografiska For Life is our platform for projects that aim to raise awareness about social issues and create debate and impact, using photography as a medium to illustrate, inform and inspire activity. We show the work of the world’s foremost photographers and photojournalists in a context that creates public impact and inspires our audience to learn more about issues that are close to our heart”
Quote from Fotographiska for life
The place to meet and discuss
I like the fact that Fotografiska positions itself as a photo community. They tell they only show the work that matters and would like to encourage a discussion. (Something I would be excited to participate in, but unfortunately, there is no Fotografiska in Helsinki, where I live)
Fotografiska in Tallinn has a cafeteria and a restaurant, a shop, and a conference room. The cafeteria on the ground floor is pretty good. Worth going even if you don’t plan on going to the museum.
Online presence
On top of everything, they have a blog about photography. I love photo stories and, this is the place I will get inspiration from. So far, I can highly recommend the interview with James Nachtwey, where he introduces his lifelong work.
You can find them on the Fogotrafiska website in the stories section
Conclusion and some practical information
To say I loved Fotografiska is to say nothing. I loved the display and the concept behind. They encourage conversations about the problems our world faces, and they try to bring real photography back to the mainstream. In our time, when the web is flooded with Instagram jackassery, I find their work extremely valuable.
I think that the Fotografiska museum is well suited for everyone, not only hardcore photographers. I visited it in Tallinn, but there are also ones in Stockholm, New York, and (coming soon) London. Each has different exhibitions, so I recommend checking their website for more details.
Also, I would add. If you are well familiar with a certain photographer’s work, I would still recommend visiting. Like it was with me, with their skill in exhibiting, work may open in a new perspective.
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