Miklos Gaál

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Miklos Gaál
Speed below 40 by Miklos Gaál
Born	1974
Occupation	Artist

Miklos Gaál (born 1974 in Espoo, Finland) is an artist based in Helsinki and Amsterdam.

Miklos Gaál studied graphic design at the University of Art and Design Helsinki from 1995-99, he studied at University for Photography and Film in Göteborg, Sweden, from 1997-98 and became Master of Arts (Photography) from the University of Arts and Design in Helsinki 2004.

He has exhibited in many places, amongst others he has had solo-exhibitions at Kunsthalle Erfurt, 2006, at Kunsthalle Emden in 2005 and taken part in internationally important group-exhibitions: “The Faraway Nearby: Multimedia Show from Finland” at White Box in New York 2006, the travelling exhibition “reGeneration, 50 Photographers of Tomorrow”, and “3rd Ars Baltica Triennal of Photographic Art” 2003.

Gaál is well known for his photographs which are always shot from a distanced bird’s-eye perspective. He utilizes a technique that makes it possible to combine pin-point sharpness and blurred unfocused sections. Gaál presents scenes of daily life, but transform them into surreal, toy-like landscapes. Works such as Beach Life (2002) or Airplane, Demonstration Day, Morning Walk or Construction site (all from 2003) show landscapes and architectures and crowds of people from far away. Technically, the works result from an anlogue technique that requires no digital manipulation:

“He swivels the exposure plate so far out of focus that only a narrow strip of negative gives a sharp image, while the rest remains blurred. “

Niels Ohlsen in „Miklos Gaál- Sightseeing tour“