Marja Helander

Marja Helander (born 29 August 1965) is a Finnish urban Sámi photographer, artist and filmmaker.

Early life Marja Helander was born in Helsinki, Finland, where she still works and lives. Helander's mother is Finnish and her father is a Sámi from Utsjoki. Even though Helander grew up in Helsinki, she spent her vacations with her father's family in Utsjoki.

Education From 1985-1986, Helander studied at the University of Helsinki. In 1986, she started studying painting at the Liminka Art College. In 1988, she graduated from the Liminka Art School and started studying visual arts at the Lahti Institute of Fine Arts, from which she graduated in 1992. After that she started to study photography at the University of Art and Design in Helsinki, Finland, graduating in 1999.