Kuvatoimittaja Mikko Pekarin muistonäyttely galleria Laterna Magicassa (Rauhankatu 7, 00170 Helsinki) esittelee Pekarin monipuolista uraa valokuvan historian ja innovaatioiden parissa. Näyttelyn avajaisia juhlistetaan tiistaina 26.5. Klo 17–19. Näyttely on esillä 13.6.2026 saakka.

The memorial exhibition of photo editor Mikko Pekar in Laterna Magica's galleries (Rauhankatu 7, 00170 Helsinki) presents Pekari's diverse career with the history and innovations of photography. The opening of the exhibition will be celebrated on Tuesday, May 26th, from 5–7 p.m. The exhibition will be on display until June 13th, 2026.

Photo editor Mikko Pekari (1940–2025) had an expansive acareer in photography. Pekari began his career in the newly established photo department of Helsingin Sanomat in 1967. In addition to his own work, he wrote about photography for the culture pages. Photography raised its profile in a new way. In 1973, Pekari moved on to Yleisradio to work for TV2.

Pekari was interested in the history and technology of photography. In 1984, Pekari curated an exhibition of holograms at Galleria Hippolyte, which was called “Laterna Magica”. In the Hologram issue of the magazine Valokuva, published in April 1984, Mikko Pekari wrote about the technique as follows: “[...] an image on a plane is projected in front of or behind the plane as a three-dimensional light sculpture. The light of the moment of photography is captured in the hologram and can be reproduced at the moment of viewing.” The exhibition "Laterna Magica" toured Finland and the Nordic countries for several years. In this memorial exhibition, these holograms will be on display for the first time in decades.

In 1989, Mikko Pekari founded the gallery and antiquarian bookshop Laterna Magica in Kruununhaka, Helsinki, with his brother Aapo Pekari. In addition to the history of photography, the galleries also extensively presented works by contemporary photographers. Pekari worked as a photo editor on several book and exhibition projects alongside his gallery work. The exhibition “Art Noir” at the Gallen-Kallela Museum in 1995 presented photographs by our national artist together with photographs by Edvard Munch, August Strindberg and Hugo Simberg. “Colors of War” extensively presented color photographs by TK photographers in 2000. Images from these ensembles will also be seen in Pekar’s memorial exhibition. In addition, the exhibition will feature Sergei Prokudin-Gorsky’s early color photographs, which have been seen in exhibitions curated by Mikko Pekar at, among others, the Gallen-Kallela Museum and the South Karelia Museum. Pekari served as an executive officer for Patricia Seppälä Foundation from 2008 to 2016.

Mikko Pekari was awarded the State Photography Prize in 1973 and the Finnfoto Prize for the promotion of Finnish photography in 1999.

The Whole Picture– Mikko Pekari memorial exhibition in Laterna Magica's gallerie from 27 May to 13 June 2026. Opening ceremony Tue 26 May from 5pm to 7pm. The exhibition is supported by Finnfoto ry. The Mikko Pekari memorial exhibition has been made in collaboration with the Gallen-Kallela Museum.

The exhibition is curated by Petri Nuutinen, Claudine Pekari, Eira Sillanpää and Tuomo-Juhani Vuorenmaa. Design by Tapio Wilska.

Additional info: Gallerist Eira Sillanpää, Laterna Magica, p.044 283 1212, eira@laterna.net