Known for his experiments in abstraction through analog pho­tography, Niko Luoma uses light as a raw material to combine mul­tiple exposures on the same photo negative. His Adaptations series explores his fascination with rein­terpreting artworks from art his­tory that have influenced the way we think about art as a society. He analyses the paintings by cre­ating sketches that deconstruct each work based on its lines of perspective and counterpoints. Building his images one shape at a time, he uses cut-out templates to block and redirect light onto the same negative through a series of color filters. Through these techniques of repetition and overlapping, he disassembles the images into shapes and re­arranges them, destroying their initial forms. This process gen­erates a seemingly random set of geometric figures. Each adaption creates a sur­prising dialogue with the original artwork, the similarities becom­ing increasingly apparent upon closer inspection. Rather than di­rect interpretations of art history, these works serve as extensions of how he feels, hears, and senses these influences.

Niko Luoma (*1970 in Helsinki) studied at the New England School of Photography, Boston (1995) and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (1998), before graduating from Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture in 2003, where he has been teaching ever since. Luoma’s works are in numerous collections, such as the Sir Elton John Collection at V&A South Kensington (London), Borusan Contemporary (Istanbul), and the European Central Bank Art Collection. His works have been exhibited worldwide at institutions such as Weserburg Museum of Modern Art (Bremen, DE), EMMA (Espoo, FI), Landskrona Museum (SE), the Stenersen Museum (Oslo), and the Finnish Museum of Photography (Helsinki). Luoma lives and works between Helsinki and Trieste, Italy.