Some Kind of Heavenly Fire by Maria Lax is a creative depiction of stories from her grandfather’s book. As a journalist he had been investigating claims of strange and unexplained sightings from the forests around where she grew up in a remote region of Northern Finland. Marias cinematic approach to storytelling creates a compelling and enigmatic world filled with mystery.
“I’m from a small town in Northern Finland surrounded by a vast, sparsely populated wilderness. Most pass through the town on their way someplace else without ever knowing it was a hotspot for UFO sightings in the 1960’s.
Unaware of this history myself, it wasn’t until I read my grandfather’s book that I learnt of the incredible stories of supernatural events, bravery and struggle against hardship in what is largely a barren land. Already suffering from dementia, he was unable to answer any of the questions I had so I went looking for the answers. I turned to the people who saw the mysterious lights, to newspaper archives and my family’s photo albums from the era.
The UFO sightings coincided with a time of great struggle for Northern Finland. People flooded from the countryside to the cities in search of jobs leaving abandoned houses scattered across this beautiful but harsh landscape. It’s no wonder that the UFO sightings embodied a fear of the future, the unknown and the inexorable shift in lifestyles and livelihoods going on around them. Some reacted to the mysterious lights with fear, some took them as a sign they were not alone.”
– Maria Lax, 2020
Maria Lax is a London based photographer originally from a small town in Northern Finland. She is known for her use of colour and seamlessly blending reality and fantasy in her work and Maria’s background in cinematography shines through in her strong use of lighting and experimental camera techniques.
Maria Lax’s work has been exhibited at fairs and festivals worldwide and has been published in WIRED, Irish Times, Lamono Magazine, Vogue Interior, Musee Magazine and Pacific Dissent, among others. Maria Lax was one of the winners of British Journal of Photography’s Female in Focus awards, 2019 and a finalist in the BJP Portrait of Humanity, 2020, PHMuseum Photography Grant Finalist, 2020, Winner of the In Cadaques festival Open Call, 2020.
Prints from this series are available in three sizes. Including the newly released small size.
To request the catalogue of this series please contact [email protected]
Details can also be found the gallery’s website.
Some Kind of Heavenly Fire by Maria Lax
830 x 560 mm / Edition of 5
565 x 396 mm / Ed. of 10
395 x 277 mm / Ed. of 30
Giclée print on German Etching paper
Accompanied by a signed artist label
For print enquiries contact:
Information
London
February 16, 2021 to April 14, 2021
