May Day Masquerade

Merja Salo, 1980-luku. Hopeagelatiinivedos. Suomen valokuvataiteen museo

Carnivals are rare in Finland, but on May Day people go out into the streets and squares in droves. Dressing up and wearing masks is all part of the fun.   

“There is something fascinating about masks: what role or guise does the person want to take on, what do they want that moment to reveal? The disparity between the mask and the rest of their persona is interesting, and something that they themselves may not realize – it only comes out in the picture.” - Merja Salo (b. 1953), 2010

 

Tapahtumat, työpajat ja kurssit
Collection pick
For Jouko Leskelä (b. 1956), street photography means snapping pictures freely and staying alert while he is in the street. This picture was taken while the photographer was walking down the Esplanade in downtown Helsinki.
Collection pick
In June 1970, Apu magazine published an article illustrated by Kalle Kultala (1924–1991). Kultala captured a Peeping Tom a hundred metres away, sneaking around behind the fence at the Seurasaari nudist beach. At the same time, he unashamedly took snapshots of the naked women on the beach.
Collection pick
Press photographer Kalle Kultala was at his best when working among politicians and other wielders of power.
Kokoelmat
The collections of the Finnish Museum of Photography include more than two million photographs. The collections focus on 20th-century Finnish photography, and are made up of both selected works by photographers and images from extensive photographic archives. The museum's collection of objects includes thousands of photography-related artefacts. The museum also has a paper archive and a photographic library.
Address
Kämp Galleria
Mikonkatu 1, 00100 Helsinki
See on the map Kämp Galleria
Opening hours
Mon–Fri 11am–8pm, Sat–Sun 11am–6pm
Tickets
16/6/0 €
Museokortti
Under 18 y.o. free admission
Address
The Cable Factory
Kaapeliaukio 3, 00180 Helsinki
See on the map The Cable Factory
Opening hours
Tue–Fri 11 am – 7 pm, Sat–Sun 11 am – 6 pm
Tickets
12/6/0 €, 16/6/0 € from January 1st 2024
Museokortti
Under 18 y.o. free admission