Emerging Artists 2026

The first exhibition of Fotografiska Tallinn’s new programme, Emerging Artists: The Baltics & Finland, brings forward rising photographic talents from the region – a new generation of bold and distinctive voices pointing toward the medium’s possible futures.

The programme’s inaugural exhibition brings together artists from four countries, whose works open up personal worlds, test the boundaries of photography, and offer new ways to experience the present moment. The artists have been selected through an international open call.

The exhibition Emerging Artists 2026: The Baltics & Finland features the following artists: Annemarija Gulbe, Krišjānis Elviks, Anna Ansone ft. Anna Marija Puķe (Latvia), Ieva Baltaduonytė (Lithuania), Shia Rówan Conlon (Finland), Karl Ketamo (Finland), Anna-Liisa Kree (Estonia), Andra Rahe (Estonia), Filips Smits (Latvia), Pavelas Šalaikiskis (Lithuania).

The selected artists engage with photographic material in markedly different ways: by staging carefully constructed scenes for the camera; by observing themselves and their surroundings closely and honestly, yet also with playfulness and humour; and by shaping contemporary moods through their series, bringing into view the more subtle undercurrents of society.

The exhibition offers a compelling overview of the diverse approaches within contemporary photography, while providing an opportunity to engage with the artists’ personal experiences as expressed through the medium. Local audiences may also recognise visual cues that are distinctive to this region.

Emerging Tallinn: the first chapter

The artists for Fotografiska Tallinn’s first Emerging Artists exhibition were selected through an international open call spanning the Baltic states and Finland.

The selection was made by an expert jury consisting of: Margit Aasmäe (Executive Director and Co-Founder, Fotografiska Tallinn), Kulla Laas (Emerging Artists Programme Manager, Fotografiska Tallinn), Maarja Loorents (Exhibitions Director and Co-Founder, Fotografiska Tallinn), Niko Luoma (Artist and Lecturer at Aalto University’s School of Arts, Design and Architecture), Jorven Viilik (Brand and Artistic Director, Fotografiska Tallinn), Johan Vikner (Global Director of Exhibitions, Fotografiska).

“Selecting from over 200 applicants was no easy task. The submitted materials were reviewed in several stages, with the aim of arriving at a diverse and timely artistic overview.

Preference was given to artists whose work has not yet gained wider recognition in the region, but whose distinctive visual languages deserve attention at this moment,“ Laas explains.

The selected artists have not yet held major solo exhibitions, and some of the series are so recent that they take shape for the first time within the Fotografiska exhibition.

The exhibition Emerging Artists 2026: The Baltics & Finland will be on view at Fotografiska Tallinn until 1 November 2026. The curator of the exhibition is Kulla Laas, Emerging Artists Programme Manager at Fotografiska Tallinn.

The next exhibition within the same programme will take place at Fotografiska Tallinn in autumn 2027. The Open Call for applications is open until 27 December 2026.

Fotografiska Emerging

Fotografiska Emerging is Fotografiska's global initiative dedicated to discovering, supporting, and amplifying the next generation of photographers and visual artists. The initiative operates through two complementary pathways: curated exhibition programs in Fotografiska's museums in Stockholm, Berlin, Tallinn and Shanghai, and a global digital platform open to submissions from photographers and artists worldwide.

The Emerging initiative represents Fotografiska’s commitment to shaping the future of photography and visual art by supporting photographers and
artists at pivotal moments in their careers. Fotografiska Emerging provides not just visibility, but the professional infrastructure, community, and platform to develop their practice and reach new audiences.

More info and current Open Calls can be found here.

Media highlights

ET:

Kultuuriuudised – Margitta Otsmaa, Vikerraadio / ERR, 08.05.2026

Kultuuriuudised – Kaspar Viilup, Aktuaalne Kaamera / ERR, 11.05.2026

LV:

„Latvijas fotogrāfi jauno talantu izstādē Tallinas Fotografiska“ – Foto Kvartals, 28.04.2026

„Pieci Latvijas jaunie fotogrāfi piedalās «Fotografiska Tallinn» jaunajā Baltijas un Somijas mākslinieku platformā“ – Travel News, 12.05.2026

Kadrā viss mainīgs un reizē apstājies. Latviešu fotogrāfu darbi Tallinas muzeja «Fotografiska» izstādēs – Gundega Evelone, LSM.lv, 07.09.2026

Exhibition partners