Henri Airo and Iivari Mikkonen’s exhibition If Such a Scene is Presented Even Prior the Opening Titles, it Grows in Significance brings together a multimedia installation at the Hippolyte Korjaamo exhibition space. This installation features photographs the artists have made in recent years, collected archival and textual materials, drawings, as well as an embroidered text collage and a related booklet. The joint exhibition by Airo and Mikkonen highlights observations about the connections between the remembrance of war and militarism in Finnish society through various contexts, such as archives, events, and the artists’ imaginations.

Collective memory refers to the internal historical perspective within communities, the key experiences of generations, and historical traumas through which a community shapes its identity. The cornerstone of Finnish collective memory is largely formed by the stories, myths, and traumas related to the Winter War and the Continuation War. Collective memory is maintained both privately in homes and socially through commemorative events, as well as culturally through mediums such as film. For those who have not lived through it, war is distant and unfamiliar, thus the role of visual culture becomes crucial in its remembrance.

As background research for the exhibition, the artists have explored various textual and visual representations of the Winter War and the Continuation War. Airo and Mikkonen have borrowed, modified, and produced texts based on production documents of Finnish war films, newspaper articles, and novels on Finnish war heroes. In the exhibition space, the textual material is combined with both direct and staged photographs created by the artists. Between 2018 and 2024, Airo has made photographs in settings that participate in preserving war memories, such as museums, commemorative events, and ceremonies. Over the past two years, Mikkonen has created photographs that address militarism in his immediate surroundings, inherited memorabilia, everyday environments, and family relationships.

By combining research materials related to both historical and fictional events with direct and staged photographs, the artists aim to illustrate the collective imagination through which the relationship to historical wars is formed in Finland today. At the same time, the collision of various narratives reveals how traumatic experiences are passed from one generation to another and the kind of relationship they construct with war and militarism.

Henri Airo (born in 1996) is a visual artist based in Helsinki, interested in interpersonal interaction. In his works, he examines social phenomena by bringing together photographs and other lens-based media, text, and archival material. In his artistic practice, Airo is interested in a self-reflective gaze that not only explores the subject matter but also examines the tools used to form societal narratives. He graduated from the photography program at LAB University of Applied Sciences in 2021. In addition to his own artistic work, Airo works as a photography teacher, writes, and produces various cultural projects in the independent arts scene.

Iivari Mikkonen (born in 2000) is a visual artist, occasional MC, and former magician. In his practice, Mikkonen delves into his cultural heritage and examines the formation of history, myths, and traumas. In his works, he seeks to receive and reinterpret these themes. Mikkonen’s works are documentary-based, focusing on the interaction of societal phenomena in individual everyday life and personal experiences. Mikkonen works with analog photography in both Helsinki and The Hague, where he is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in photography at the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague (KABK).

The archival material for the exhibition has been collected from sources such as the National Audiovisual Institute, the SA-Image Archive, and the National Library of Finland.

Henri Airo’s work has been supported by the Finnish Cultural Foundation, the Arts Promotion Centre Finland (Taike), and the Foundation for the Promotion of Journalistic Culture.

During the exhibition, Henri Airo’s photobook, War is an Accident (UTU Press 2024) will be published). After the release event, the book will be available at the bookshop of Photographic Gallery Hippolyte (Yrjönkatu 8-10).

Henri Airo & Iivari Mikkonen
If Such a Scene is Presented Even Prior the Opening Titles it Grows in Significance
14.6.–10.8.2024
Hippolyte Korjaamo (Töölönkatu 51 A-B, 00250 Helsinki)