Based in London, the Finnish photographer transports us into its timeless visual narratives, halfway between reality, fiction and the supernatural.
"The truth is out there.", some will say. And that's saying something. Maria Lax is interested in identity, beliefs and modern folklore by exploring parallel worlds.
His series Some Kind of Heavenly Fire, which became her first monograph published in 2020 (Setanta Books), immerses us in these phantasmagorical visions, inspired by a book by her grandfather that she discovered late in life. He had compiled a collection of accounts of paranormal observations in the early 1970s when he worked as a journalist. “My grandfather, who was suffering from dementia at the time, couldn’t answer any of my questions. So I went looking for answers.” she explains. Maria Lax thus returned to her native region in northern Finland, surrounded by wild and sparsely populated nature, to conduct her investigation and find the people mentioned in the notebook.
"Most people pass through the city on their way somewhere else without ever knowing that it was a hotspot for UFO sightings in the 1960s."she emphasizes, adding: "These phenomena embody a fear of the future, of the unknown, and of the inexorable change in lifestyles and livelihoods occurring around them. Some reacted with fear to the mysterious lights, while others interpreted them as a sign that they were not alone."
Timeless atmospheres
Halos of light, celestial fires, neon flashes, car headlights and nocturnal radiance thus crystallize in his photographs, which resemble a cinematic scenario.
His images depict these supernatural stories, while drawing on ghost stories and the folklore of traditional folk tales.
In her practice, Maria Lax uses experimental camera techniques, flash, and bright colors. "I prefer lighting techniques used for cinema or the existing light, in order to create a scene."she explains, adding: "With my designer Jan Hillman, we sequenced the book so that it unfolds like a film."
The photographer thus weaves a captivating story at the heart of this region steeped in secrets. In 2023, she released her second book, based on her series Taken by the Tide (Nazraeli Press), this time exploring the notion of memory of the place of her childhood: returning to her native region after many years, she realizes that the place she once knew no longer exists, except in her memories.
His images propel us into a surreal landscape where the familiar becomes foreign, where landmarks are lost in a play of shifting earthly atmosphere, as melancholic as it is poetic.
England – London