Organizer

Italian kulttuuri-instituutti, Italian suurlähetystö

The exhibition "The infinite moment. Portraits" by Lia Pasqualino is a comprehensive retrospective of an engagée photographer’s work.

The Italian Cultural Institute is pleased to bring to Helsinki the exhibition L’istante infinito. Ritratti (The Infinite Moment. Portraits) by the Italian photographer Lia Pasqualino. The photo exhibition will be on display at the Musiikkitalo from April 28 th to May 30 th 2026. This exhibition is a comprehensive retrospective of an engagée photographer’s work. Pasqualino, who is of Italian-Danish descent, studied photography under Letizia Battaglia and has made portraiture a unique way to explore humanity.

The Portrait as Revelation

Lia Pasqualino’s work lies halfway between portraiture and reportage: her black-and-white shots combine closeness and distance, intimacy and discretion.

Through the lens, the artist’s primary goal is to see into people’s hearts. In other words, her aim is not to reveal people’s identities through their features, but to reach their innermost selves.

The art of waiting

Lia Pasqualino favors a subtle and patient approach, waiting for the moment to arrive rather than forcing it. Her portraits do not depict poses, but they capture moments with delicacy by paying specific attention to the flow of life. Her portraits pay tribute to characters such as Laura Morante, Dacia Maraini, da Emilio Isgrò, Leonardo Sciascia, Andrea Camilleri, Umberto Eco, Claudio Magris as well as unknown people, and children or adolescents in the streets of her hometown, Palermo.

Pasqualino always captures moments with the same intention: revealing without disturbing and without coercing.

Italian Cultural Institute