Harri Pälviranta

Basic information

b. 1971, Tampere
Artist
Residence: Helsinki

Contact information

Phone number: +358405811770
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Bio

Harri Pälviranta (born 1971, Finland) is a photographic artist, filmmaker and researcher. He holds a Doctor of Arts degree in photography from the Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture in Helsinki (2012), MA in Media Studies from the University of Turku (2005) and BA in photography from the Turku Arts Academy (2000).

His works has been exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions internationally, the latest group shows including National Museum of Arts and Crafts (Zagreb, Croatia), FLUSS (Wolkersdorf, Austria) and Robert Capa Contemporary Photography Center (Budapest, Hungary) and solo shows at Gallery H2O in Barcelona, Spain, CFF gallery in Stockholm, Sweden and Tampere Art Museum in Finland. To name some achievements from the past, in 2007 he won the PhotoEspana Descubrimientos award and in 2010 he was awarded in the LeadAwards price in Hamburg, He is currently funded by Arts Promotion Centre Finland (2017-2019).

At the core of Pälviranta’s artistic curiosity are issues relating to violence and masculinity, and often in his works he bridges these two themes. What is noteworthy is that he understands both of these concepts through their wide definitions. Like Slavoj Žižek, Pälviranta sees violence as a diverse practice: it can be seen as subjective and objective, and it can take both symbolic and systemic forms. Connected to this, his comprehension of masculinity is also layered: masculinity can be seen as culturally encoded and performed and renewed in commonplace practices. These points of departure mean that violence and masculinity alike can be observed and studied as both concrete and structural phenomena, and from analytical and/or subjective perspectives.

Theoretically much of his work falls into practice that can be categorized as documentary. However, in Pälviranta’s use documentary does not only refer to classical documentaries, his work rather activates critical practices within documentary discourse. Along this line of thought, as a form of expression documentary relates to concepts such as constructed verisimilitude and dramatized, narrated real. In his most recent projects he connects to archival practices, and uses documentary as a term referring to materiality of the image.

Along his artistic work, he has been curating museum exhibitions in Finland, Spain and Denmark. He has done residencies in Albania, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Sweden and the USA. He lectures and teaches frequently in Finnish universities.