Canon Keynote with Meeri Koutaniemi

As part of the Hamburg Portfolio Review 2026, we are delighted to welcome Finnish photographer, journalist, and Canon Ambassador Meeri Koutaniemi for a special Canon Keynote at the FREELENS Gallery.

For many years, Koutaniemi’s work has explored human rights, identity, social power structures, and personal resilience. Her long-term projects have taken her across the world, often bringing her back to the same people and communities over many years. Her practice is defined by close observation, persistence, and a strong visual language. A major focus of her work is female genital mutilation (FGM), its impact, and the people working to end the practice.

In her keynote, Meeri Koutaniemi will offer insights into her photographic practice and the development of her long-term documentary projects. She will speak about the responsibility involved in telling other people’s stories, the importance of trust and proximity in photographic work and the ways in which visual narratives can evolve over time.

In 2026, Koutaniemi was awarded the Canon Female Photojournalist Grant. The grant enables her to continue and further develop her long-term project on female genital mutilation.

Canon Keynote: Meeri Koutaniemi

Friday, September 25, 2026

5:00 PM

FREELENS Gallery

Alter Steinweg 15, 20459 Hamburg

The event will also be streamed live on the HPR Instagram and via the HPR website.

Meeri Koutaniemi (b. 1987) is a Finnish photographer, journalist, and visual artist whose work explores human rights, identity, and resilience through documentary photography, contemporary art, and film.

Originally from Northern Finland, Koutaniemi began working internationally at the age of 19. Her long-term projects have since taken her to more than 70 countries, often returning to the same people and communities over many years. For the past 14 years, she has documented female genital mutilation (FGM) and the people working to end the practice across 14 countries.

Her work has received international recognition, including the Tim Hetherington Memorial Award, Visa d’Or Daily Press Award, FreeLens Award, Finnfoto Award, and most recently the 2026 Canon Female Photojournalist Grant, awarded at Visa pour l’Image in Perpignan. She has presented over 60 exhibitions internationally, published nine books, and written and hosted a three-season television series on visual arts for Finland’s national broadcaster YLE.

Koutaniemi lives and works between Helsinki and the Mallorcan countryside and currently works as a Canon Ambassador.