In Marjo Koskenkorva’s photographs, beauty is not merely aesthetic — it is emotion, light, and presence. Looking at her images feels as though one could pause for a moment and breathe the same fresh, pure air as the landscapes within them.
Northern nature breathes in its own quiet rhythm. Marshlands rest beneath layers of mist, the light above the fells changes in an instant, and forests hold stories that cannot easily be put into words — but can be seen. These are the stories that photographer Marjo Koskenkorva from Oulu captures in her images with a delicate and distinctive touch.
In Koskenkorva’s work, the northern landscape is never merely a backdrop. It is a living part of the image, just as important as the person within it. In her photographs, light, nature, and humanity intertwine in a way that invites the viewer to pause and embrace the silence.
A lifelong relationship with photography began under the red light of the darkroom
Photography has been part of Marjo’s life since childhood. She grew up watching her father work in the darkroom at a time when photographs were created slowly and by hand. In her childhood home, photographs often hung drying on clotheslines instead of laundry — a memory that stayed with her and laid the foundation for a lifelong connection to photography.
Alongside photography, Koskenkorva works in the social services field in Oulu. The combination of these two worlds is strongly reflected in her work: an interest in people’s life stories, emotions, and experiences runs through every image she creates.
Her photographs do not merely portray people — they seek to say something about humanity itself, about sensitivity, strength, and vulnerability.
Misty marshlands and the ever-changing light of Syöte
Nature is Marjo’s most important workspace. Especially close to her heart are marshlands, forests, and the fells of Syöte, where light constantly transforms with the seasons and weather.
She is fascinated by the silence of northern nature — those moments when fog softens the outlines of the landscape and light lingers above the fells only briefly before disappearing. It is in these moments that her images are born, photographs where humans do not dominate the landscape but instead become part of it.
In her work, nature functions both as a stage and as a symbolic space — a place where a person can encounter themselves.
Tulle skirts on the fells and stories in the forest
Koskenkorva’s photographs have a strong editorial style. Every detail, from clothing to props, is carefully considered as part of the overall visual narrative.
It is not uncommon to see Marjo standing in the middle of a marsh wearing a flowing tulle skirt, or on top of a fell in a fur hat searching for the perfect location. Her camera is always accompanied by props, and often a sled or backpack filled with photography equipment.
“For me, it’s important that the visual style feels surprising. I find props at flea markets and in friends’ closets, and some come directly from nature. Tulle skirts and fur hats, usually seen on catwalks, appear in my photographs surrounded by wilderness, creating contrast within the story the image tells,” Marjo explains.
It is precisely this contrast that makes her work so recognizable. The delicate northern landscape meets striking visual styling in a way that feels both dreamlike and authentic at the same time.
A first group exhibition marks a new chapter
This group exhibition marks the first time Marjo Koskenkorva’s works are being presented to a wider audience in this context. Her photographs bring a fresh perspective to traditional portraiture, blending people, landscape, and storytelling into a single unified whole.
At the same time, her distinctive visual style has begun to find its audience on social media as well. Her growing following on Instagram reflects a clear appreciation for the silence of the north, powerful atmosphere, and narrative visual language found in her work.
In Marjo’s photographs, beauty is not merely aesthetic — it is emotion, light, and presence. Looking at her images feels as though one could pause for a moment and breathe the same fresh, pure air as the landscapes within them.
Glimpses of North (Välähdyksiä) in Iso-Syöte is part of the Oulu2026 European Capital of Culture programme.
