The on-going 'Vieraalla maalla (In a Foreign Place)' project is induced
by personal experiences of cultural misunderstandings that affect the
way we perceive images and the world around us. In this fabricated
outlandish world traditional Finnish, Carelian and Sami customs and
practices have been given a slightly odd twist. Not deviating beyond
recognisability for recipients with the relevant cultural knowledge, the
scenes toy with proverbs, phrases and obsolete customs, rendering
the images absurdly strange to a viewer unfamiliar with the cultural
heritage. Drawing from personal experiences of cultural alienation and
misunderstandings, and my Carelian origin, the work invites the
recipients to strive to decipher and locate the depicted world, thereby
denoting the arbitrary nature of our interpretations of images so easily
taken for granted.
Emilia Moisio (born in Helsinki, Finland 1983) is a London-based freelance photographer. Having graduated from University College Falmouth BA Photography course in 2012, she is currently studying MA in Photography at the London College of Communication, University of the Arts London. Her photographs have been featured in a number of international exhibitions and art photography publications.
Her fine art practice is guided by a post-modernist interest in exploring and questioning the role of photography in society, and consists mainly of conceptually based projects strongly focused and founded on using images as a tool to explore, analyze, develop and illustrate the structured framework of thought.
Awards 2014 – MA Photography: London College of Communication, University of the Arts London, UK
2009 – 2012 BA (Hons.) Photography: University College Falmouth, UK
2014 The Source-Cord Prize: the project 'Vieraalla maalla (In a Foreign Place)' shortlisted
2014 Moscow International Foto Awards: Honorable Mention in Culture category for the winning entry 'Vieraalla maalla (In a Foreign Place)'
2014 LensCulture: Artist's profile with selected projects featured
2013 Silvershotz Folio 2012: Project Missing Moments featured in the Silvershotz Folio 2012 portfolio selection
2012 International Fine Art Photography Competition: Juror Award of Merit in People / Portraits category for the winning entry 'Louhi'
2012 The South West Graduate Photography Prize 2012: the project 'Missing Moments' shortlisted
2012 International Photography Awards (IPA) 2012: Honorable Mention in Fine Art - Portrait category for the winning entry 'Vieraalla maalla (In a Foreign Place)'
