AKI & ASTRID SINIKOSKI: NEW GHOSTS TURKU KUNSTHALLE / TURUN TAIDEHALLI 11.6–11.7.2021
New Ghosts at Turku Kunsthalle is open until 11 July 2021. Please, notice that if you are living in Finland you only have two weeks before it’s our time to say goodbye to Finland.
New Ghosts photos have now been exhibited in Helsinki, Turku, Oulu, Tampere, Jyväskylä, and Inari – so now we are heading back on the road for exhibitions abroad. More news soon. 😊
Aki-Pekka Sinikoski is a Helsinki-based photographer and author whose best-known works include Finnish Teens (2011), Last Machos (2016), I Love Dogs (2020) and New Ghosts (2011–2058). Sinikoski often describes his artistic photo production methods as lengthy and time consuming. According to Sinikoski this is because of the exceptional scope of the documentary series but also due to his wish to capture the passing of time. He is not looking for decisive moments but rather the stagnant feeling just after these moments.
Sinikoski has graduated as Master of Art from the Department of Media at Aalto University, Finland. His major subject is from the Aalto University’s Institution of Photography. His work has been exhibited in numerous exhibitions both in Finland and abroad, and his work has been published by e.g. The Guardian and Vogue Italia.
Change and identity are reoccurring themes in Sinikoski’s work. He works in multiple different mediums, and the medium selects itself through the aim and content of the project at hand.
‘’I love both words and photographs. One of the biggest differences between the two mediums is the way that they are perceived by the observer. In a text the story is formed a word and a sentence at a time, and what is said in the next sentence does not exist until it is read. Photograph on the other hand reveals immediately some sort of general view, which gets more detailed the longer you spend observing the photo. Photograph also has always a somewhat strong relationship to reality,’’ Sinikoski explains.
This residency period was Sinikoski’s third time working in Ii. His previous visits were in 2015 and 2016.
‘’I feel very comfortable here in Ii and KulttuuriKauppila, it’s a good place to be. In the mornings the neighbour’s rooster greets me when it hears my footsteps approaching. Life is calm and simple, but at the same time I feel that the place is almost magical. Few nights ago I finished writing late at night, and went out for a stroll. By coincidence I ended up jamming with local musicians in the neighbourhood, who I met during my previous residency period in Ii. In between the jamming we went outside to just talk and admire the magical Northern Lights illuminating the sky above us. It was an unforgettable night that just happened, without any plan.’’
During his residency period in Ii, Sinikoski worked on a sound installation, his photographs and two different book projects.
‘’The first book project is continuation to my children’s book ‘Under the Moon‘ (Kuun valossa / Under månen)which was published last year. The other book is related to the ‘New Ghost’ photography series, which I have been working on with my daughter Astrid since 2011. The series has been shot around the world, including here in Ii in 2016 when I was here in a residency together with my daughter. KulttuuriKauppila has become a dear place to me, where I have found both like-minded people as well as the peace and quiet to listen to myself. During my residencies I have managed to get a lot of work done, but at the same time also take my artistic work forward, even to new directions.’’
Hello my friend! Even it’s still winter up here in the north, today you can already feel the spring in the air. Finally we are going towards the light 😊❄️🌞
I have some good exhibition news for you as well. We will have a New Ghosts exhibition in Kunsthalle Turku (Turun Taidehalli) during next summer. So happy to hit the road again with my favourite artist, my daughter Astrid. ⭐️
We have some good news for you… Or more precisely: YLE has some good TV News for you. Here is our New Ghosts interview broadcasted by YLE (Finnish Broadcasting Company) TV News. Unfortunately it’s only in Finnish but on the other hand it was sent to every single home here in Finland.
And for our Finnish followers: Tuolta alla olevan linkin takaa löytyy myös Ylen tekemä melkein 10 minuuttinen radiohaastattelu meistä kahdesta:
Suomen Kuvalehti (one of the most important magazines in Finland) listed best books in Finland 2020. My First book included!!!
“Äiti on lentänyt kuuhun ja isä vaihtanut sirkuksesta postille töihin. Lapsi on mielellään yksin kotona, sillä silloin saa olla juuri niin kuin haluaa. Surua käsitellään sadussa tavattoman kauniisti ja lohdullisesti, se sekoittuu lempeästi elämäniloon ja seikkailuun. Yhtenä päivänä lapsi sukeltaa kylpyammeen kautta haaksirikkoutuneiden saarelle, löytää uusia ystäviä ja oppii jännittäviä asioita. Sinikosken tekstissä on filosofisia pohdintoja. Karsikkaan unenomaisen pehmeä vesivärikuvitus herättää tekstin eloon fantastisten hahmojen ja maisemien avulla.” – Suomen Kuvalehti 49/2020
“Mumhas flown to the moon, and the dad has changed workplaces from the circus to post. The little child is happy to stay at home alone, as he then can be whatever he likes to be. Sadness in this book is dealt with in an incredibly beautiful and comforting way, blending it with the zest for life and adventures. One day, while taking his bath, the child dives underwater and discovers an island, where he meets new friends and learns new, exciting things. Sinikoski’s text is full of philosophical reflections, and Karsikas’s dreamy and warm watercolour illustrations bring the text to life through fantastical characters and landscapes.” – Suomen Kuvalehti 49/2020
New Ghosts at the Head On Photo Festival in Sydney.
@headonphotofest is a massive international art event spread all over the city. Here are some photos from our installation in the Royal Botanic Garden, located close to the iconic Sydney Opera House.
Thank you Moshe Rosenzveig, Anita Schwartz, and Stephen Godfrey. You have done such an amazing job building this fantastic photo festival. We are so happy and honored to be part of it ❤️
I would also like to thank all the other artists we met during our trip to Australia. We are especially grateful for all the people who stopped us on the street just to talk with us and those who have sent us messages afterwards. It has ment so much to us. It’s truely amazing to travel 25 hours to the other side of the world and find people who know what we are doing and who are touched by our photographs and are passionated about them. We feel happy and grateful to be part of your lives ❤️⭐️🙏
Yours, Aki & Astrid
PS. This giant New Ghost at the Circular Quay Station(!!!) located between Museum of Contemporary Art Australia and Sydney Opera House.
