Tiu Makkonen (b.1989) is a queer immigrant artist and photographer originally from Finland. Since moving to Scotland over 10 years ago, her work has developed from personal reflections on identity and queerness to documenting the LGBTI+ scene in Scotland at large. Using both analogue and digital formats, her work ranges from fine art portraiture projects addressing visibility, representation and empowerment to documentary work shooting underground queer raves, art events and national gender equality campaigns.

Since 2017, Tiu has been focusing on creating large scale portrait series of Scottish LGBTI+ elders and older adults over 50. Her series 'Letters to Ourselves' was the first to begin this intergenerational conversation, and it was based on this project that she joined The Coming Back Out Ball as photographer in residence to continue creating portraits of the LGBT Elders' Social Dance Club members for the accompanying 'Portraits of an LGBTI+ Generation' exhibition. These portraits are all shot on medium format film to retain a sense of authenticity and value. The ethos underpinning all of her work is a desire to bolster the community from within, with the projects working as a two-way mirrors: to have us be seen, but also to really see ourselves, full of fierce love and radical vulnerability.