The topics of Mika Elo's published articles range from Walter Benjamin and Jean-Luc Nancy to photography and media theory. His doctoral thesis Valokuvan medium (The Medium of Photography, 2005) examines the points of departure and challenges of the theory of photography and philosophical media theory. His current research is entitled Figures of Touch in the Expanding Field of Photography (figuresoftouch.com).

Selected exhibitions and art projects
2010. Tangents. Performance, Forum Box, Helsinki
2008. Art as Research. Conference exhibition. Villa Elisabeth, Berlin
2007. Toisaalta tässä / Here Then, TR1, Tampere (Finland)
2007. Elo-Chagas-Mühlenstedt, Atelierhaus Roter Hahn, Bremen
2007. Voice-over supplement to Friedl Kubelka's film "Max Turnheim". Performance. Museum of Contemrorary Art Kiasma, Helsinki
2003. Hospitalities, Voipaala Art Centre, Voipaala (Finland)
1996. Synthesis – Young Finnish Photography, Finnish Museum of Photography, Helsinki
1995. LUMO 95 - Photographic Art Festival, Gallery Becker, Jyväskylä (Finland)

Selected curatorial work
2006. Square Minutes – Young Finnish Photography. With Harri Laakso.
2004-5. Helsinki Photography Festival 2005. With Brett Rogers.
1996 Helsinki Photography Festival 1996. With Jan Kaila.

Selected publications
2010. Text to Fredl Kubelka's film 'Max Turnheim'. In: Elina Saloranta (ed.) Secret Identities of a Psychoanalyst. Viewpoints on the works of Friedl Kubelka (Friedl von Gröller). Helsinki: Finnis Academy of Fine Arts.
2010. Extending, Transferring, Responding. In: Elina Saloranta (ed.) Secret Identities of a Psychoanalyst. Viewpoints on the works of Friedl Kubelka (Friedl von Gröller). Helsinki: Finnish Academy of Fine Arts.
2009. Passages of Articulation: Art and Research Touching. In: Nithikul Nimkulrat and Tim O'Riley, (eds.) Reflections and Connections. On the relationship between creative production and academic research. Helsinki: University of Art and Design.
2007. Walter Benjamin on Photography: Towards Elemental Politics. Transformations, no. 15 (November), [online]. Avalable at: http://www.transformationsjournal.org/journal/issue_15/article_01.shtml
2007. Valokuvan kieli käännöstehtävänä / The Language of Photography as a Translation Task. In: Mika Elo (ed.) Toisaalta tässä /Here Then. Photorographs as Work of Art and as Research. Helsinki: University of Art and Design Helsinki and Finnish Academy of Fine Arts.
2005. Aura und Spur in der Fotografie. Zeitschrift für kritische Theorie. No. 20-21, pp. 42-51.
2005. Die Wiederkehr der Aura. In: Christian Schulte (ed.) Walter Benjamins Medientheorie. Konstanz: Univestitätsverlag Konstanz.
2005. Toiston taide / The Art of Repetition. In: Mika Elo and Brett Rogers (eds.) To be continued... / Jatkuu... Helsinki Photography Festival Catalogue, Helsinki and London: Photographic Gallery Hippolyte and British Council.
2005. Souvenirs. In: Kyungwoo Chun and Mika Elo, Souvenirs. Seoul: Sigonart.

Taking the cue from Benjamin's philosophy of language, the task of a media theorist operating in the interstices of different media can be likened to the task of the translator. [...] In other words, the media theorist or artist/researcher who has assumed the task of the translator must tune their language to 'to match the level of the work of art.