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The artist couple Jenni Luhta (née Markkanen, b. 1986) and Lauri Luhta (b. 1980), based in Helsinki, Finland, have lived and worked together since 2015. Their background is in the field of experimental contemporary visual, media and performance art. During the years 2015–2018, Jenni and Lauri Luhta made both joint works and individual pieces influenced by each other, such as Kevätteologia (The Theology of Spring, a performance by Lauri, 2015), Kätketty kehä (The Hidden Circle, a performance by Jenni, 2015), Hyvän malli (The Model of Good, an exhibition by Jenni with music by Lauri at Sinne gallery, Helsinki, 2016). In 2017, Jenni started making experimental, visual-cinematic videos using digital collage technique. Lauri, who studied history, philosophy and theology in the university, contributed heavily to the content of Suomen henki (The Spirit of Finland, a video by Jenni made for the 100th anniversary of Finland's independence, 2017) as well as to the short Auttakaa (Help Me, 2018). The next logical step was to make a full-length feature film. In 2019, a decision was made that all the subsequent works by Jenni and Lauri Luhta would be joint efforts, ambitious digital works that would be applicable to both contemporary art and cinema audiences.
The couple’s first full-length work Syndafloden (The Deluge, 1 hrs 21min, 2021) took three years to complete. It is a Swedish-speaking, ultra-visual film about the present world based on the prophecies and riddles of Leonardo da Vinci from 500 years ago, all narrated by Swedish Speaking Döden (”Death”, played by Jenni). Syndafloden has been shown in several festivals around the world. In 2022, Jenni and Lauri began working on their second feature Moses (2024, 1 hrs 34 min), a minimalistic yet dream-like film about Sigmund Freud’s late obsession with Moses and the birth of monotheism. Freud was portrayed by Jenni, Prophet Moses by Lauri. Moses had its premiere at in International Film Festival Rotterdam in January 2024, where it was accepted to the prestigious Tiger Competition. The film was also shown at New Horizons Festival in Poland. Jesaja (”Isaiah”), the third full-length film – the first in Finnish – of the Luhtas, was shot in 2024, the year which is also the work’s subject matter, as it was a crucial period in Finland’s history, captured in Jesaja by the means of docufiction centered on a fictional character Jesaja Jalonen (played by Lauri). Jesaja is currently being edited and polished and will receive its world premiere in the beginning of 2026. |
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