Photographers and archives

More than ever, photographers are incorporating archival images into their projects. Family albums and various forms of vernacular photography have become particularly intriguing in the 2020s. This workshop will investigate the so-called “archival turn” in photography. Why do photographers love analog and historical imagery in the digital age? How have photographers used archival photographs in their creative practice since the1980s? The workshop provides resources to deepen one’s understanding of a central phenomenon in contemporary European photography. What you will learn/do • Learn to work with photo archives: different type of archives and archivists • Get familiar with the work of contemporary photographers using archival material; learn how and for what purposes they are doing it today Worskshop details This workshop is destined for anyone interested in photographic archives in the contemporary discourse. The maximum number of participants is 15. Request for the participants: Please send 1-3 old photographs you like, or you find important for you by email (at elinahelenaheikka@gmail.com) no later than April 19. A short description can be included with the photos. Photos will be used in the workshop. About the lecturer Elina Heikka is an art historian, freelance curator, and writer specializing in contemporary photography and its history. She has extensive museum experience, including roles at the Finnish National Gallery and the Finnish Museum of Photography (FMP), a leading photography institution in the Nordic countries, where she served as director from 2007 to 2023. Through her museum work, exhibitions, and research projects, Heikka is strongly connected internationally. She has published widely on photography since the 1990s, including research articles, essays, and edited volumes. In 2023, she was part of the curatorial team for Søsterskap at the Rencontres d’Arles festival, exploring the welfare state from a feminist perspective. In 2024, she was artistic director of the Encontros da Imagem festival in Braga, Portugal, themed Colonial Legacies. In 2025, she curated Emotional Encounters at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Lisbon, continuing discussions on Europe’s colonial past. In January 2026, she curated A Boy Who Loved Birds, a major retrospective of nature photographer Hannu Hautala at the Salo Art Museum in Finland. Elina Heikka is based in Helsinki and Lisbon.