Esa Ylijaasko (b. 1989) is a Finnish multimedia artist working across photography, film, graphic design, and print. His practice is rooted in a search for peace in the middle of chaos, creating works where the everyday carries a quiet spell. Working through a language of magical realism, Ylijaasko builds visual worlds in which reality remains recognizable, yet bends through atmosphere, silence, and subtle surreal tension.
Initially known for his cinematic black-and-white photography and strong visual storytelling, Ylijaasko has expanded his practice into broader multimedia forms that move between documentary sensitivity and poetic image-making. He is drawn to stillness, solitude, memory, and emotionally charged spaces where the mind can breathe. Across his work, inner noise is transformed into images that feel calm, uncanny, and emotionally true — inviting the viewer to look longer, until the ordinary reveals something deeper beneath its surface.
His work often explores identity, environment, tradition, and the emotional weight of place. Shaped by the stark beauty of the North, his visual language is marked by quiet intensity, strong composition, and a timeless sense of presence. Whether photographing people, built environments, or cultural subjects, Ylijaasko’s work balances authenticity with atmosphere, creating images that feel both grounded and slightly otherworldly.
His photographs and projects have been featured internationally in The New York Times, VICE, British Journal of Photography, PHMuseum, and Midtjysk Kulturakademi, among others. His work has also appeared in several books and festival publications.
Ylijaasko’s exhibition history spans Finland, Germany, Italy, Turkey, France, the United States, Myanmar, and Japan. In 2025–2027, his work is included in The Secret of Finnish Sauna, an international exhibition touring Japan, including Gallery A-Quad in Tokyo, Hiroshima MOCA, Kogen Museum of Art, and Toyama Glass Art Museum.
He is based in Lapland, Finland, where the raw northern landscape continues to shape his practice through its silence, stark contrasts, and quiet emotional force.
Portrait of Esa Ylijaasko in Lesbos Island, 2015 by Paolo Pellegrin / Magnum Photos
2022 Pohjoinen Kulttuurivirta, interviewed by Sami Nyysölä https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7veuIE6Zjs
2021 Midtjysk Kulturakademi, Interviewed by Julia Schougaard https://www.midtikulturen.dk/tema/de-udvalgte
2018 British Journal of Photography, Interviewed by Diane Smyth https://www.1854.photography/2018/01/esaylijaasko/
2017 PHMuseum, Interviewed by Laurence Cornet https://phmuseum.com/news/longing-for-home-looking-for-home
2015 The New York Times, Interviewed by Philip B. Richardson https://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/05/18/kurdish-syrians-beyond-the-border-crossing/
2014 VICE, Interviewed by Daniel Pajunen https://www.vice.com/en/article/4w75b9/under-the-clouds-of-sleymaniye-0000471-v21n10
BOOKS
Social Sauna: Bathing & Wellbeing, Edited by Jane Withers Studio, Published by Therme Group
6th Lumix Festival for Young Photojournalism, by Lumix Festival, Publisher Herausgeber
FotoIstanbul, by Beşiktaş International Festival of Photography
Muutos: 100 Kuvaa sananvapauden puolesta, by Toimittajat ilman rajoja
The Americans List II, BY THE GLOW OF THE JUKEBOX: THE AMERICANS LIST II
conceived and compiled by Jason Eskenazi
EXHIBITIONS
2025-2027
Upcoming! The Secret of Finnish Sauna, Toyama Glass Art Museum (Toyama, Japan) 2026
Upcoming! The Secret of Finnish Sauna, Kogen Museum of Art (Kuomi-machi, Japan) 2026
The Secret of Finnish Sauna, Hiroshima MOCA (Hiroshima, Japan) 2026
The Secret of Finnish Sauna, Gallery A-Quad (Tokyo, Japan) 2025-2026
2024
PÄÄKAUPUNKI: Sämplejä JKL-räpin historiasta, Aalto2 Museum (Jyväskylä, Finland) 2024
Spirit of Sauna, Aalto2 Museum (Jyväskylä, Finland) 2023-2024
2023
Spirit of Sauna, Aalto2 Museum (Jyväskylä, Finland) 2023-2024
La Fiaba, Tawast (Jyväskylä, Finland) 2023
2020 - 2021
Lutakko 2020, Keski-Suomen Museo (Jyväskylä, Finland) 2020-2021
2019
November is a beginning, Northern Photographic Centre (Oulu, Finland) 2019
November is a beginning, Miami Photo Festival (Miami, USA) 2019
November is a beginning, Yangon Photo Festival (Yangon, Myanmar) 2019
2018
November is a beginning, Lumix Festival (Hanover, Germany) 2018
November is a beginning, Kilens Hembygdsgård (Siipyy, Finland) 2018
Spirit of Sauna, Bang Bang Gallery (Helsinki, Finland) 2018
November is a beginning, Officine Fotografiche (Milan, Italy) 2018
November is a beginning, Werkstattgalerie (Berlin, Germany) 2018
November is a beginning, Galleria Uusi Kipinä (Lahti, Finland) 2018
November is a beginning, Eigenleben der Galerie Neurotitan Schwarzenber (Berlin, Germany) 2018
2017
November is a beginning, Ratamo Galleria (Jyväskylä, Finland) 2017
November is a beginning, Fotoleggendo Festival (Rome, Italy) 2017
VII exhibition in Paris during Mois de la Photo du Grand Paris 2017
November is a beginning, Gazebook Photo Book Festival (Sicily, Italy) 2017
2016
November is a beginning, Next Generation -Young Eyes of Photojournalism (Helsinki, Finland) 2016
November is a beginning, FotoIstanbul Festival (Istanbul, Turkey) 2016
November is a beginning, International Short Film Festival ‘Tran.s.cend’ (Istanbul, Turkey) 2016
AWARDS
Freelens award 2018
FotoFinlandia award nominee 2018
Carina Appel Award 2017
Gomma Grant 2016
Magnum Photos Showcase in November 2012