Kristian Kaarna has landed to the Axarquia, Andalusia through Central Europe. He is known from his large-scale photographs from around the world. Recently old
love for black and white film photography has begun to gain
larger area in his production. Stumps and rhizomes found in the garden of the Axarquia house were perfect subject for black and white photography, Kaarna discovered a whole new world, "There is beauty everywhere, we just have to see it," he says.
Pictures of the Andalusian micro-world travelled to the Nelimarkka Museum to Alajärvi, where Kristian Kaarna's exhibition Integrated Landscapes was opened in October 2019, landscapes that will be on display at the museum until February 23, 2020.
In addition to photographs taken in Axarquia, Kristian Kaarna has taken rare pictures of the La Ruche Artist Residence in Paris, where the founder of the Finnish Nelimarkka museum, painter Eero Nelimarkka worked in his youth.
The artist residence, once the cradle of modernism, is nowadays completely complete closed to outsiders, but Kristian Kaarna was called in 2019 there to work. During the visits, Kristian photographed building what was called the Beehive, the current inhabitants of the residences and the statues found in the park and artist buildings shattered splendour.
- Respecting the layers of history seemed naturally demanding to the traditional black and white film shooting.
For his 50 years anniversary, he completed his photography studio and Black and white darkroom in Axarquia Axarquia.
Kaarna is facing new challenges.
- I just want to share the black and white photography knowledge that few people currently hold know-how. Another challenge is the eco-friendly chemicals used in photo development.
Text by Marjatta Hietaniemi