"Viola and Elsa at 10 and 9"

pigment-based inkjet print mounted on aluminum

signed, numbered (ink) and lable on verso

In her new series "Elsa and Viola" Nelli Palomäki deals with the tradition of the classic black-and-white portrait. Palomäki sees her portraits as a means of communication. She tries not to be only the person behind the camera but also to actively take part in the process of the picture making, to be present. This presence she also searches within the persons she takes pictures of. She concentrates on their gestures and the diversity of glances. The not completely controllable and independent status of the photographic portrait fascinates her the most: "In the beginning alike, but in the end completely different."
Often Palomäki doesn’t carry her camera with her. She prefers to observe the people around her and to get into contact with them: "My pictures force me to go close to people." This was the way the portrait came into being that has given its name to the whole series "Elsa and Viola". On the tram she had noticed two girls who were much alike. "Although they were playing together, they had sad looks on their faces. Even the greatest laugh would not change the seriousness of the faces. The girls stayed in my thoughts for a long time. After a few months, I saw the same girls again, this time with their mother. I ended up taking a portrait of Elsa and Viola in their home. I stuffed the girls in one big tulle dress to keep them as close to each other as possible for a longer time. The girls sat seriously next to each other and looked the same as they did months before. I’m amused by their seriousness, at the same time there is something sad about it."
(The Helsinki School)