Photography by Céline Clanet courtesy of Céline Clanet

Céline Clanet was born in 1977 in the French Alps, leaving only at 18 to study photography at the Ecole Nationale de la Photographie in Paris. She has since produced series upon series of evocative images documenting her obsessive explorations of place, identity, death, and memory. Currently, Clanet has a stunning show on display until April 4 at the Pohjoinen Valokuvakeskus/Northern Photographic Center in Oulu, Finland. Clanet was gracious enough to respond to a few questions via email about the current show, her fascination with Lapland, and the village Máze in particular, as well as her deep connection to the place and its people.

Can you give us some background on yourself?

I am French, and was born and raised in the Alps. When I was 18 I moved to London, and then Arles (southern France), where I studied photography for some years. I now live and work in Paris, with my man and son. I started photography when I was a teenager. I started playing with chemicals, films, and papers, and I soon realized the fantastic tool it was for saving memories and sharing thoughts.