Mikael Siirilä
Distances
Fàbrica Cal Garbat
For this author, distance is one of the first decisions any photographer must make: it determines how much is seen, what remains outside the frame and how the image is subsequently interpreted, as well as how much eludes the viewer’s full understanding.
A portrait of the father, a fragment of the daughter, travel sketches: seemingly unconnected photographs that offer no complete truth, only fragments and traces which, when placed together, begin to resonate in a different way.
The project stems from a simple idea: it is not possible to fully access the experiences of others, and faced with this impossibility, the author acts as an archaeologist reconstructing narratives that may never have existed exactly as imagined—a way of moving away from certainty towards suggestion.
Mikael Siirilä (Finland, 1978) learned to develop photographs in the darkroom at a very young age and, after studying philosophy, graphic design and branding, rediscovered his passion for photography.
During the 2010s, he built his own darkroom and deepened his knowledge of analogue techniques.
Since 2022, he has exhibited in Spain, Italy, France, Denmark and Germany. His first photobook, Here, in Absence, published by Iikki Books, was shortlisted for the Prix Nadar 2024. He is represented by Polka Galerie.
