Anna Niskanen
Anna Niskanen

Canvas & Iris (2025)
Commissioned for the 19th Tallinn Print Triennial
Lasnamäe pavilion of Tallinn Art Hall
21.6.–31.8.2025

The XIX Tallinn Print Triennial will take place from 21 July to 31 August 2025 at Tallinn Art Hall’s Lasnamäe pavilion, continuing its legacy as one of Estonia’s longest-running international art events. Curated by Marika Agu, the exhibition explores the complexities of memory preservation in an era of rapid technological and societal change. It examines how knowledge is stored, reinterpreted, or lost, questioning the shifting value of archives in contemporary culture. With a focus on printmaking’s evolving role, the triennial brings together artists who challenge traditional modes of documentation and engage with experimental, interdisciplinary approaches. As a platform for artistic exchange and research, the triennial fosters dialogue between historical narratives and speculative futures, highlighting the power of visual culture in shaping collective memory.

Anna Niskanen

detail of Canvas (2025) cyanotype on paper, toned with Greek eucalyptus, 6 x 21,2 m 

I spent some time in Athens last winter. Visiting archeological museums I was drawn to the shelves of small historical findings that felt familiar: seashells and pigment making tools for paint. An archeological museum can offer this profound feeling of connection with ancestry and human kind. I was surprised to find a strong connection to my own craft and to discover that thousands of years ago someone was collecting similar things and using materials in a similar way. 

I like to think about the sky as this vast envelope that we have also both gazed upon: me and someone who lived three thousand years ago, as does someone else right now, somewhere else in the world. The sky is never the same, but that canvas where the weather moves always was; as was the moon, and in the night the light from the stars that travelled many light years to meet our eyes.

Anna Niskanen

installation at Lasnamäe Pavilion, 2025 (photo: Hedi Jaansoo)

Anna Niskanen

Canvas (2025) cyanotype on paper, toned with Greek eucalyptus, 6 x 21,2 m

Anna Niskanen

installation at Lasnamäe Pavilion, 2025 (photo: Hedi Jaansoo)

Anna Niskanen

Iris (2025) (photo: Hedi Jaansoo)

Anna Niskanen

Iris (2025), tricolor cyanotype and ink on paper, 31 x 26 cm (Private Collection)

Anna Niskanen

Detail of Canvas (2025) cyanotype on paper, toned with Greek eucalyptus, 6 x 21,2 m

Canvas & Iris (2025)
Commissioned for the 19th Tallinn Print Triennial
Lasnamäe pavilion of Tallinn Art Hall
21.6.–31.8.2025

The XIX Tallinn Print Triennial will take place from 21 July to 31 August 2025 at Tallinn Art Hall’s Lasnamäe pavilion, continuing its legacy as one of Estonia’s longest-running international art events. Curated by Marika Agu, the exhibition explores the complexities of memory preservation in an era of rapid technological and societal change. It examines how knowledge is stored, reinterpreted, or lost, questioning the shifting value of archives in contemporary culture. With a focus on printmaking’s evolving role, the triennial brings together artists who challenge traditional modes of documentation and engage with experimental, interdisciplinary approaches. As a platform for artistic exchange and research, the triennial fosters dialogue between historical narratives and speculative futures, highlighting the power of visual culture in shaping collective memory.

Anna Niskanen

detail of Canvas (2025) cyanotype on paper, toned with Greek eucalyptus, 6 x 21,2 m 

I spent some time in Athens last winter. Visiting archeological museums I was drawn to the shelves of small historical findings that felt familiar: seashells and pigment making tools for paint. An archeological museum can offer this profound feeling of connection with ancestry and human kind. I was surprised to find a strong connection to my own craft and to discover that thousands of years ago someone was collecting similar things and using materials in a similar way. 

I like to think about the sky as this vast envelope that we have also both gazed upon: me and someone who lived three thousand years ago, as does someone else right now, somewhere else in the world. The sky is never the same, but that canvas where the weather moves always was; as was the moon, and in the night the light from the stars that travelled many light years to meet our eyes.

Anna Niskanen

installation at Lasnamäe Pavilion, 2025 (photo: Hedi Jaansoo)

Anna Niskanen

Canvas (2025) cyanotype on paper, toned with Greek eucalyptus, 6 x 21,2 m

Anna Niskanen

installation at Lasnamäe Pavilion, 2025 (photo: Hedi Jaansoo)

Anna Niskanen

Iris (2025) (photo: Hedi Jaansoo)

Anna Niskanen

Iris (2025), tricolor cyanotype and ink on paper, 31 x 26 cm (Private Collection)

Anna Niskanen

Detail of Canvas (2025) cyanotype on paper, toned with Greek eucalyptus, 6 x 21,2 m