Born in Helsinki in 1978, Mikael Siirilä approaches photography as a slow-paced and reflective practice. He collects observations from his life and works in the darkroom to give them meaning. His visual style can be recognised by the pronounced film grain, dominating black elements and image edges as a source of mystery and meaning. The majority of his works observe themes such as outsider hood, absence and presence. Mikael Siirilä works exclusively with black & white film and the silver gelatin process. The darkroom allows him to approach the photograph as a handmade object.