“In silver gelatin printing there is a freedom of gesture. You’re not subject to software or algorithms: you can truly manipulate the image, bring it to life with your hands, to treat it physically. It’s this freedom, this possibility of experimentation, that appeals to a whole new generation. I wouldn’t say the skills have disappeared, but they’ve become rarer. And these gestures, which must be relearned, aren’t just techniques: they also embody a relationship to time, a relationship to the image. Preserving these skills means nurturing them as a living cultural heritage.”
Michel Poivert – Professor of History of Photography at Sorbonne University, France.
France Culture, Le Point culture: Le retour en force du tirage argentique – 13th of November 2025
Strategy of Gestures is a group exhibition that aims to explore memory, bodies, and history. The temporality of gestures, expressed through diverse materials, reminds us of the fragility of lives, much like the surface of a print that can disappear. The exhibition presents a series of tactile, handcrafted photographs, from silver gelatin and platinum-palladium prints to family images slowly dissolving in chemical baths. Through layered, material-driven processes, the works explore the body, its presence, and its traces, with the delicate gesture on soft paper suggesting an endless interplay of meanings. Each piece is created using analogue methods, emphasising the intimacy of touch and craft.
In the midst of contemporary life and digital noise, nurturing memories and slowing down is both a personal and political act. Analog processes, handmade prints, and materials create space for reflection, presence, and connection. Memory is not merely an archive, but a living, breathing part of our identity, carrying traces of the past and enabling new experiences. Slowing down, making gestures, and engaging materially with hands-on processes are strategies of resistance against hate, exclusion, and neglect. They remind us that memory through craftsmanship is a powerful, tangible way to maintain a connection to ourselves, to each other, and to our times.
The exhibition’s nine artists were selected through an international open call: Ali Uchida (JP), Clara Franke (DE/NL), Clare Samuel (UK/CA), Hermione Russell (UK), Joana Duarte (PT/NL), Phoebe Kiely (UK), Quinten Vermeulen (BE), Shia Conlon (IE/FI), and Shou-An Chiang (TW/UK).
Strategy of Gestures is curated by Clément Beraud and Natalia Kopkina.
The exhibition at Photographic Gallery Hippolyte is part of Helsinki Analog Festival 2026. The festival programme also includes a handmade book exhibition at Helsinki Central Library Oodi, screenings of films made with analogue techniques at Kino Regina, a symposium on artistic research at Finnish Museum of Photography, as well as workshops, talks, and a photography competition for young people.
www.helsinkianalogfestival.com
Natalia Kopkina (b. 1984) is a photographic artist and publisher based in Helsinki. Kopkina is a co-founder of the Finnish Darkroom Association and the artistic director of the Helsinki Analog Festival. She collaborates with bookbinder Juha Markula, producing artists’ books and photography-related publications under her imprint I am not Publishing, founded in 2018. Her practice focuses on analogue materials and handmade processes, with experimental, sustainable, and collaborative approaches. She holds an MA in Photography from Aalto University.
Clément Beraud (b. 1988) is an art worker based in Helsinki, specialising in photography and moving images. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Photography from Paris (2011) and a Master’s degree in Art and Media from ViCCA, Helsinki (2023). Beraud’s curatorial practice focuses on landscape perception, visual art narratives and their societal impact. His artistic practice and curatorial endeavors are deeply rooted in exploring the nuances of landscape perception and visual storytelling, particularly through the lens of Finnish culture and society. With a keen interest in social class issues, his work often reflects on the intersection of art, politics, and everyday life.
Helsinki Analog Festival
Strategy of Gestures
4 April –3 May 2026
Photographic Gallery Hippolyte & Hippolyte Studio
image: Clare Samuel, A disturbance in the air, 2025