Sarianna Metsähuone

I was born 1966 in Helsinki, Finland and have been living in Sweden since 1988.
I received both of my degrees, BFA (1997) and MFA (2000), from The School of
Photography in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Between 1999 - 2004 I photographed private and public spaces, my everyday surroundings,
from above, from birds' eye view. I photographed an interaction between a mother
and a child (Tango 2000), my own home (MA work 2000), other peoples homes
(Random Homes 2001-02), the Nordic forest (Forest Room 2001-02) and finally
my two home towns, Gothenburg and Helsinki (City Spaces 2003-04).

At the time, when I started working with the birds’ eye view, I did not realize, really,
why I was doing it. I did not know why I had to look at my life from above. It took me
some years to understand that going up and away and looking down, was my way
of saying something very essential about myself or my life situation...

Between October 2004 - April 2006 I took a serious break from my photography.
During that time I was basically landing from the heights and getting ready for new work.
That day came in the end (no, I was not getting nervous, thinking that maybe it wouldn't...).

Now it's all about working, slowly but definitely. And it's all about communication.
I could probably write an essay on the subject and still not get it right, due to the paradox of the conception itself...


Education

1998-2000
School of Photography, Gothenburg, Sweden
Master of Fine Arts
1994-1997
School of Photography, Gothenburg, Sweden
Bachelor of Fine Arts
1996
San Francisco State University, USA
Independent studies, Photo Dept.



Art Fairs

2005
Photo-London, UK
Art Frankfurt, Germany
Scope, New York, USA
Art Fair-Palmbeach3, Florida, USA
2004
Art Fair-Cologne, Germany
Art Fair-New York, USA

Selected Solo Exhibitions

2009
Tidaholms Konsthall, Sweden
2007
Nordhemsgatans Konst, Gothenburg, Sweden
2006
Nordhemsgatans Konst, Gothenburg, Sweden
Maqs, Gothenburg, Sweden
2005
Forest Room, Galerie Poller, Frankfurt, Germany
Forest Room, Centre de photographie de Lectoure, Lectoure, France
Random Homes, Fotografins Hus, Stockholm, Sweden
2004
Random Homes & City Spaces, Röda Sten, Gothenburg, Sweden
ValentinByhr, Gothenburg, Sweden
Random Homes. Kunsthalle Vitehall, Kungsbacka, Sweden
2003
Private And Public Spaces – Four Variations Of The Birds' Eye View. Lowe Gallery, Helsinki, Finland
2002
Forest Room. Gallery Mors Mössa, Gothenburg, Sweden
Forest Room. MUU Gallery, Helsinki, Finland
Forest Room. Porvoo Kunsthalle, Finland
1998
Camera Foresta. Gallery Mazarin, Söderhamn, Sweden


Selected Group Exhibitions

2009
Gothenburg Art Museum: Finnish Contemporary Art from the Permanent Collection
2007
Kaliningrad State Art Gallery, Russia
Nordhemsgatans Konst, Gothenburg, Sweden
Kunsthalle, Gothenburg, Sweden
The Cityborderlands Project, Nordens Hus, Reykjavik, Iceland
2006
The Cityborderlands Project, Nordic Cultural Center of Frederiks Bastion, Copenhagen, Denmark
2005
Getting a New Perspective, Dals-Långed Kunsthalle, Sweden
photographers:network, selection 2005, Studio Thomas Kellner, Siegen, Germany
Random Homes, VB-Photographic Centre, Kuopio, Finland
2004
Descubrimientos, PhotoEspana -04. Madrid, Spain
2003
Women 2003. Copenhagen, Denmark
2002
Light and Space. Helsinki Kunsthalle, Finland
2000
Cashbox. Gallery Box, Gothenburg, Sweden
Parallel Worlds. FH, Dortmund, Germany
Photographs. Finnish Institute Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden
Trashing. Göteborg City Museum, Gothenburg, Sweden
Correct. Hasselblad Center, Gothenburg, Sweden
1999
P1. Gallery Konstepidemin, Gothenburg, Sweden
Cashbox. Gallery Box, Gothenburg, Sweden
1997
2400 points. Kunsthalle Gothenburg, Sweden
1996
The Power of Seeing. Gallery Gufot, Gothenburg, Sweden


Film festivals

1998
Tampere Short Film Festival. Tampere, Finland
1997
Nordic Panorama Festival. Helsinki, Finland
Grimstad Film Festival. Grimstad, Norway

Represented by

NORDHEMS KONST & DESIGN, Göteborg, Sweden
Gunda Patzke Photographers, Frankfurt, Germany


Represented in collections

Maqs, Göteborg
ValentinByhr, Göteborg
Vitehall, Kungsbacka kunsthalle, Sweden
Apoteksbolagets konstförening, Sweden
The National Public Art Council (Statens konstråd), Sweden
Hasselblad Center, Sweden
Gothenburg Art Museum, Sweden
Private collections in Sweden, Finland, Germany, France, USA, Australia

Grants, Prizes, Residencies

2005
Konstnärsnämnden/The Arts Grants Committee, Sweden
2003
Iris-Grant, KvinnorKan, Sweden
Gothenburg City Cultural Grant, Sweden
The Cultural Foundation of Finland
2002
The Cultural Foundation of Finland
The Cultural Foundation of Finland and Sweden
2001
The Hasselblad Foundation, Sweden
2000
Victor Hasselblad scholarship, Sweden
1st prize in AMF-Photo competition, Sweden
1997
Robert Frank scholarship, Göteborg, Sweden

Specials

Oct.23 - Nov.5 2000
A photograph from MA Final Thesis Work exhibited in downtown Stockholm
over an entire skyscraper facade, size c. 2500 square meters.


Reviewed / Published

October 2007
Bukowskis Modern Autumn Auction Catalogue 2007 No. 519

Bukowskis Modern Autumn Auction Catalogue 2007 No. 520
Stockholm, Sweden

April 2007
Bukowskis Modern Spring Auction Catalogue 2007 No. 456A
Stockholm, Sweden

Jan/Feb 2007
Fotómüvészet, Budapest, Hungary

October 2006
Bukowskis Modern Autumn Auction Catalogue 2006
Stockholm, Sweden

July-August 2005
Photographers:network selection 2005 "different realities"
Profifoto nr 4/2005, Germany

July 9 2005
Sarianna Metsähuone: Forest Room
Fotografie-Forum, Germany

May 21 2005
Cheminements: Le programme continue avec le Centre de photographie
Le Depeche, France

May 3 2005
"Cheminements": un succes des la premiere journee
Le Depeche, France

May 2005
Cheminements paralleles
ArtZimut supplement a FLASHebdo, France

April 29 2005
L'expo "Cheminements" arpente la Lomagne
Le Depeche, France

February 2 2005
Finnish photography conquering the world
Stockholm City, Sweden

Oct. 25 2004
For you who want to look down on people (in Swedish)
Göteborgs-Posten (Newspaper), Sweden

Oct. 23 2004
Gothenburg from above - Sarianna Metsähuone shows pictures of every day life from a new perspective (in Swedish)
GT/Expressen (Evening paper), Sweden

September 2004
Sarianna Metsähuone
random spaces city homes random homes city spaces random city home spaces (in Swedish)
Newsletter for Röda Sten

July 11 2004
"Summer talk", one hour program on The Swedish Radio.
I talk about my photography, my tattoos, my son, my divorce and my Finnish roots...

July 2004
Sarianna Metsähuone is getting higher (in Finnish)
Kamera-lehti (Photo magazine), Finland

May 13 2004
Homes from an unusual angle
Kungsbacka Tidning (Newspaper), Sweden

Nov. 2003
Konstrevyn 2003, Sweden

Oct. 24 2003
The world seen with the eyes of a bungee jumper (in Finnish)
Helsingin Sanomat (Newspaper), Helsinki, Finland

Sept. 4 2003
Tough competition for the grants (in Swedish)
Göteborgs-Posten (Newspaper), Sweden

April 2003
Watch out (in Swedish)
FORUM 0203 (design magazine), Sweden

Dec. 2002
Homes from above (in Finnish)
Kamera-lehti (Photo magazine), Finland

Oct. 18 2002
Forestlike rooms from above (in Swedish)
Forest & Land (Magazine), Sweden

Sept. 17 2002
From above in Haga, Gothenburg (in Swedish)
Göteborgs-Posten (Newspaper), Sweden

Sept. 14 2002
Two different ways of describing the forest (in Swedish)
GT/Expressen (Evening paper), Sweden

Aug. 29 2002
Metsähuone (=Forestroom) makes forest rooms with photographs (in Finnish)
Helsingin Sanomat (Newspaper), Helsinki, Finland

April 13 2002
Feeling of being an outsider brings together two sisters in joint exhibition
Borgåbladet (Newspaper), Finland
April 13 2002
Metsähuone sisters search for identity with photographs
Uusimaa (Newspaper), Finland
April 25 2002
In the midst of a forest at Kunsthalle. Photographs and digital...
Uusimaa (Newspaper), Finland
Dec. 2001
The artists guide you
Presens # 3-4 (Art Magazine), Sweden
Sept. 23 2001
Hello – Why are you photographing Swedish homes?
GT/Expressen (Evening paper), Sweden
Oct. 2000
Parallel Worlds
Exhibition Catalogue. Dortmund, Germany
Oct.29 2000
Finnish naturalness caused a stir at Sergel Market Square
Helsingin Sanomat (Newspaper), Helsinki, Finland
Oct.23 2000
Artistic skyscraper
Dagens Nyheter (Newspaper), Stockholm, Sweden
Oct.6 2000
Lydmar Hotel
Dagens Nyheter (Newspaper), Stockholm, Sweden
Sept. 2000
Million Dollar Hotel
Forum 3.00 (Swedish architecture magazine), Stockholm, Sweden
Sept.17 2000
Chaos at home
Aftonbladet (Evening paper), Stockholm, Sweden
Aug.25 2000
Sarianna Metsähuone likes home and everyday life
Dagens Nyheter (Newspaper), Stockholm, Sweden
Aug. 2000
Two new Masters of Fine Arts received scholarship
Foto # 7-8 (Photography magazine), Stockholm, Sweden
May 23 2000
Finnish photographer awarded for her thesis work
Helsingin Sanomat (Newspaper), Helsinki, Finland
May 18 2000
Photographer presenting everyday life from birds’ eye view
Svenska Dagbladet (Newspaper), Stockholm, Sweden
May 10 2000
Three artists granted Artist-in-Residence at Grez-sur-Loing
Arbetet Ny Tid (Newspaper), Göteborg, Sweden
April 29 2000
Images from large and small worlds
Göteborgs-Posten (Newspaper), Göteborg, Sweden
April 2000
Hasselblad Center # 6
Exhibition Catalogue, Göteborg, Sweden
March 29 2000
Jury fell for young photographer from Göteborg
Dagens Nyheter (Newspaper), Stockholm, Sweden
March 2000
A little more to live for. A photographic initiative from AMF Pension.
(Photography book), Sweden
June 1997
The first Robert Frank scholarship granted
Foto # 7 (Photography magazine), Stockholm, Sweden
May 22 1997
Forest Room
Göteborgs-Posten (Newspaper), Göteborg, Sweden
May 7 1997
Face to face with thesis work
Göteborgs-Posten (Newspaper), Göteborg, Sweden
Dec 30 1995
The naked truth
Göteborgs-Posten (Newspaper), Göteborg, Sweden
Nov 29 1995
Two women two lives
Göteborgs-Posten (Newspaper), Göteborg, Sweden