Maija Tammi | Octomom

MAIJA TAMMI
Octomom

2021–2023

In Maija Tammi’s installation “Octomom”, octopus, human, and time intertwine. The work combines video footage of Octomom, an audio story about the octopus’ brooding period, and a self-portrait of the artist with her newborn. The octopus (Graneledone boreopacifica) – which researchers named Octomom – brooded her eggs for 53 months in the Monterey Canyon in the Pacific Ocean. This is the longest known brooding period in the world. The artwork Octomom is a gesture to share the experience of motherhood with an individual from another species.

Maija Tammi, Octomom

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» GET TO KNOW THE ARTIST «

Maija Tammi is a Finnish artist and Doctor of Arts, who is known for her storytelling through the medium of video, photography and installations. She regularly collaborates with specialists from various fields – scientists, researchers, and writers – to examine the liminal areas of mortality and immortality, science and art. Tammi’s artworks play with perception: they are rarely what they seem to be at first glance, and her storytelling is intentionally crafted to draw out emotional responses and provoke reflection.

Tammi worked as a photojournalist for six years before embarking on her career as an artist. She completed her doctorate in arts at Aalto University in 2017.
Tammi’s work has been exhibited internationally, among others in Paris, Berlin, Rome, London, New York, and Tokyo, and she has five published books. Tammi’s artworks are for example in the collections of Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago, USA, Contemporary Art Museum Kiasma in Helsinki, Finland, and National Portrait Gallery in London, UK. Tammi currently has a four-year working grant from the Kone Foundation.