Born in 1972 in Finland, Elina Brotherus graduated from the Helsinki Universityof Art and Design. In most of her work, she stages herself autobiographically or fictionally, at the same time questioning the classical forms of pictorial art such as the nude, the portrait or landscapes.
In the serie 12 Years After (1999-2012) she goes back to her arrival in France and her study of the French language using Post-it notes stuck on everything around her. “I was 27. … I was going through a turning point, in the early stages of serious freelance work. Everything was ahead of me. Real life was starting.” Taking pictures of herself in close quarters, at times with sprawling landscapes as a backdrop, she reviews the feelings that possessed her then, confronting them with the feelings that she has now, years later, taking stock this way: “I’m back again at a turning point. I’ve lived half my life, if I’m lucky, although I see my own death in each of my photos. Life hasn’t been what I hoped it would be. It’ll soon be time to accept it and to mourn over dreams that will never come true. Mourn over lost time, the young person I once was.”
FESTIVAL
Photo Phnom Penh 2013
November 30th – December 31st, 2013
http://www.institutfrancais-cambodge.com
