In the exhibition This is my skin, at Hippolyte Korjaamo, Johannes Romppanen invites the audience to delve into his ongoing artistic project, exploring everyday nude images and people’s personal stories about their body experiences. This is my skin began in 2018 when Romppanen posted an update on Facebook, reflecting on his own relationship with his body, expressing interest in the diversity of bodies, and asking friends  to model for him. After a few tests , the project was put on hold due to the pandemic, but this year, the project gained momentum again.

 Romppanen used instagram to search for models, and both familiar and unfamiliar individuals volunteered to be photographed. What united them all was a shared desire to address questions of the body  through conversation and photography. What does the body mean to us? How do we perceive ourselves and others? 

 In this project, the gaze is one of gentleness and acceptance, aiming to create space rather than take it away. From the photographer’s perspective, the key is the experience of being seen just as one is, as a beautiful and valuable individual. Through this project, the intention is to encounter different people, regardless of their body size, shape, skin color, or gender. The project is still in its infancy,  it is a reflection on  the photographer’s own perspective, age and those close to him. The search for models continues, and the project’s purpose is to explore diversity even further in the autumn of 2024.

The exhibition features discussions between the photographer and the models about the body and body experiences. You can access them using the QR codes next to the exhibition photos. The discussions can be found in the Talking with Johannes section on platforms such as Soundcloud, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts/Music. The conversations have a duration of approximately 45-60 minutes.

Johannes Romppanen (b. 1982, Helsinki) is a portrait photographer and visual artist focusing on story telling.His work reflects an interest in the diverse lives of people and how different backgrounds and life situations affect individuals. Romppanen is also fascinated by the dynamics of portrait photography and the tension between the sitter and the photographer.   He won the “Photobook of the Year 2019” award with his book Lilja, which is a personal story about his daughter Lilja, who has cerebral palsy, and the everyday life of a family where hospital visits are part of daily life. Romppanen is currently pursuing a master’s degree at Aalto University, majoring in photography.

Artist’s work has been supported by Svenska Kulturfonden, Suomen Kulttuurirahasto, and Eugene, Elisabeth och Birgit Nygréns stiftelse.

Johannes Romppanen
This is my skin
13 October–10 December 2023
Hippolyte Korjaamo (Töölönkatu 51 A-B, 00250 Helsinki)
Open according to the opening hours of Korjaamo