Emerging Artists 2026

In May, Fotografiska Tallinn launches the first exhibition of its new initiative, Emerging Artists: The Baltics & Finland, bringing the region’s rising stars of photography into the spotlight.

In this international group exhibition, we encounter a new generation of photographers from the region who combine a strong documentary eye, a sensitive artistic vision, and a skill for staging playful scenes.

The exhibition Emerging Artists 2026: The Baltics and Finland features the following artists: Annemarija Gulbe, Krišjānis Elviks & Anna Ansone (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 Tallinn 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 and Finland will be on view at Fotografiska Tallinn until 1 November 2026.

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

Fotografiska Emerging

Fotografiska Tallinn’s Emerging Artists initiative is part of the global Fotografiska Emerging platform, dedicated to elevating and amplifying new voices in image-making. Through this initiative, artists have the opportunity to share their work both online and in Fotografiska museums. It is a space designed to support creative growth across cultures and borders.

Applications to the international Fotografiska Emerging platform can be submitted here.