The Image of a Woman, 2023-2024
Photography History and AI Art Merge in Forssa (FIN) Museum’s Gallery
Moletti Exhibition
The Image of a Woman exhibition offers a cross-section of photography history, where artist
Laura Rautjoki explores the representation of Finnish women in portraits and, inspired by
historical imagery, creates alternative depictions of women using artificial intelligence. The
project is Rautjoki’s artistic thesis for the Master of Fine Arts in Photography program at the
Turku Academy of Arts. The exhibition is supported by Finnfoto ry.
'The Image of a Woman project began with a strong focus on folk history, and I approached the
work with an almost scientific research method. As I delved into the artistic process, I realized
that the project's deepest significance lay in the autoethnographic exploration of my identity
as an artist. Through this project, I immersed myself not only in my own femininity but also in
the historical Finnish imagery where, in my interpretation, women were not portrayed for the
male gaze before the influence of the film industry, but rather as they are. With the help of
artificial intelligence, I have managed to create in the images on display the same quiet,
ordinary, and unpretentious atmosphere that has characterized my previous work as a
photographic artist.'
The Image of a Woman project has been bold and experimental. Rautjoki has fearlessly and
sincerely examined the significance of authorship in AI-created art and considered how a
photographic artist can utilize AI as a tool for artistic creation. She intentionally introduces a
touch of disturbing and surreal elements into her serene, ordinary images— as if something is
slightly off. The exhibition features ‘ordinary Finnish women at various stages of life and
diAerent time periods.’ One of the works in the exhibition is inspired by Forssa's textile history,
and one piece is set in Forssa.
Laura Rautjoki (b. 1989) was born in Jyväskylä, grew up in Hämeenlinna, and now lives and
works in Helsinki.
Rautjoki’s work is represented internationally by Kate Vass Galerie.
Image of a Woman exhibition was on display at Forssa Museum’s Gallery Moletti from
September 17 to October 13, 2024,
Tue-Fri 10 AM-4 PM, Sat 10 AM-2 PM, Sun 12 PM-4 PM.
Works from the Image of a Woman exhibition were featured in the Todellisuuksia | Realities group exhibition in Turku at the Amiraalistonkatu Warehouse from November 7 to 29, 2024.
The Image of a Woman exhibition is featured in the History Reimagined exhibition, curated by Samantha Johnston, director of the Colorado Photographic Arts Center.
The History Reimagined exhibition will be on display at the Colorado Photographic Arts Center gallery.
The exhibition also includes works by Todd Dobbs and Phillip Toledano. Laura will attend the exhibition opening on March 1, 2025, as well as a panel discussion on March 2, 2025. The exhibition is part of the Month of Photography Denver Festival.
Forssa Museum Website
Colorado Photographic Arts Center
WAIA Interview
YLE published an article online and featured clips in the regional news of Southwest Finland on TV and Radio Suomi Turku.
Online Article Here
Turun Sanomat published Laura's interview and an article about the Todellisuuksia | Realities group exhibition in both its print edition and online. The exhibition consists of artistic works by Master’s level photography students from Turku University of Applied Sciences. The study group is the first in history.
Online Article Here
Solo, Forssa Museum's Gallery Moletti 9-10/2024
Group, Todellisuuksia | Realities at the Amiraalistonkatu Warehouse, Turku, 11/2024
Group, History Reimagined, Colorado Photographic Arts Center, USA, 3-4/2025
CURATED BY SAMANTHA JOHNSTON
TODD DOBBS, LAURA RAUTJOKI, AND PHILLIP TOLEDANO
History Reimagined showcases the work of three artists who use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to challenge our understanding of truth in photography. Through their thought-provoking explorations, the artists confront biases in AI algorithms, reimagine historical narratives, and question the boundaries between reality and fiction.
CPAC's press release Here
The Colorado Photographic Arts Center has acquired Laura's work the Bathers in the Sauna, Summertime, for its permanent collection.
Photo Credits: Colorado Photographic Arts Center
The show received a thoughtful and in-depth review by Ray Mark Rinaldi (@raymarkrinaldi), published in The Denver Post (@denverpost) on March 16, 2025:
“In some ways, these images feel very much like the contemporary art we see now in galleries and museums, with artists exploring topics of politics, media, racial bias and exploration of personal identity... Rautjoki's 'The Image of a Woman' series looks at how females have been represented in art and media in her native Finland — mostly by male artists, filmmakers and photographers — and how that shapes her own sense of identity.”
“Her tactic is to replace the male gaze with data-driven images prompted by a female artist and produced by AI... Rautjoki's images alter the usual gender biases... she ventures far into the surreal, generating work of full-blown, often eerie, fantasy.”
“But she manages to make things that demonstrate, as she says, ‘the same quiet, ordinary, and unpretentious atmosphere that has characterized my previous work as a photographic artist.’”
Rinaldi described the exhibition as “one of the most thoughtful and timely exhibits that CPAC has ever done.”
Link to the Denver Post Article Here
