The festival opening seminar introduces us to means of reflecting photographic truths by focusing on the notion of metamorphosis (Asko Lehmuskallio), the interrelations between visual AI and photography (Markus Sjöberg), and artistic reflections on where the lie lies (Maija Tammi). The exhibition artists Dana Benlakhdar, Joel Jimenez Jara & Sasha Velichko discuss with curator Anna Ruth the art of lying in their works selected for exhibition, after which executive director Terhi Asumaniemi will provide an overview of further Backlight Photo Festival 2026 Events, inviting seminar participants to join to the exhibition opening from 18-20 at Nykyaika, Koppelo, Finlayson.
Backlight Photo Festival Opening Seminar: ”The Art of Lying”
Friday Sept 4 13-16, Tampere University, Väinö Linna auditorium K104
13.00–13.30 | Asko Lehmuskallio (professor, visual studies, Tampere University)
Introduction and reflections on ”Metamorphosis: A Forgotten Visual Technique”
13.30–14.10 | Maija Tammi (artist, Doctor of Arts)
”The Artist’s Perspective: Where Does the Lie Lie?”
14.10–14.30 | Coffee Break
14.30–15.00 | Markus Sjöberg (post doctoral researcher, Tampere University)
”It Had to Be Generated: How AI Turned Exceptional Photographs into Suspects”
15.00–15.50 | Anna Ruth, Dana Benlakhdar, Joel Jimenez Jara & Sasha Velichko
”The Art of Lying in the works exhibited” | Discussion among exhibition artists and curators
15.50–16.00 | Terhi Asumaniemi (Executive Director, Photography Centre Nykyaika&Backlight)
Thank you and welcome to the Exhibition Opening at Nykyaika, Koppelo, Finlayson.
18.00–20.00 The Art of Lying Exhibition Opening, Nykyaika, Koppelo, Finlayson.
The exhibition artists include:
Katerina Angelopoulou (Greece)
Jo Duck (Australia)
David Ellingsen (Canada)
Joel Jimenez Jara (Costa Rica / Spain)
Akshay Mahajan (India)
André Ramos-Woodard (USA)
Rafael Roncato (Brazil / Netherlands)
Sasha Velichko (Belarus / Poland)
Timo Wright (Finland / Japan)
Sheung Yiu (Hong Kong / Finland)
Amin Yousefi (Iran / UK)
Ganslmeier & Zibelnik (Germany / Slovenia / Netherlands)
For more information and further events please see: https://backlight.fi/backlight-2026/
As well as: https://research.tuni.fi/visualstudieslab/