Perttu Saksa

Perttu Saksa's photographs are dark, mesmerizing portraits, breath-taking landscapes and still lifes. He uses documentary-like photography mixed with staging and fictive narratives. His body of work consists of strong thematic units. These resemble anthropological and philosophical-ethical studies in the form of powerful visual artworks. Saksa's art consistently focuses on the boundaries between humanity and nature, on our relationship with the environment, and especially animals. By using animals as subjects, Saksa challenges us to examine the way we perceive ourselves.

Perttu Saksa (b. 1977) graduated (MFA) in fine arts from the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts and photography (BA) from the LAB University of Applied Science and studied arts at the Iceland University of the Arts (1999). Saksa is a recipient of the Fotofinlandia Prize (2014), the most important photography award in Finland.  In 2019, he was awarded the Pro Finlandia medal. Saksa has exhibited in numerous galleries and museums around Europe, including Stadtgalerie Kiel, Felleshus Berlin, the Finnish Museum of Photography, Helsinki City Art Museum HAM and the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma. His works are included in a number of public collections, e.g. Espoo Museum of Modern Art EMMA and Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma. Saksa was nominated for the Ars Fennica Prize in 2017.  His proposal won the design competition for President Mauno Koivisto's burial monument in 2018.