Born in Helsinki in 1968, Itkonen studied photography at the School of Art and Communication in Turku and at the University of Art and Design in Helsinki. She has exhibited across Europe and her work is held in permanent collections at the Modern Museum, Stockholm, Helsinki City Art Museum, The Finnish Museum of Photography, and the Finnish State Art Collection. Itkonen was Finnish Young Photographer of the Year 2003 and a Fotofinlandia finalist in 1996 and 2004.

Inughuit, photographs from her book published by Libruis Oy in 2004, was Itkonen's first UK exhbition which was held at Michael Hoppen Contemporary, February-March 2005. The photographs are a beautiful and colourful portrait of the lives of the Arctic Polar Eskimos.

The Arctic has always been a source of fascination for explorers, adventurers, traders and whalers. It is a land of extreme weather, days and nights that last months and a landscape which is both deadly and beautiful. Itkonen’s images of this frontier range from immense icy landscapes steeped in blue light to intimate portraits of the Inuit at home in western clothes and polar bear trousers! Itkonen’s time with the Inuit allowed her to capture their humour, warmth and their unique relationship with the immense barren land which provides their livelihood. Her photographs record the rhythm of their lives and the impression the modern world has made on the ways the Inuit have always lived.

For more information on purchasing photographs, the exhibition or the book 'Inughuit' please email or call the gallery on 020 7352 4499.