During this past year I have had the pleasure of meeting and photographing a group of extraordinary people. Each one of them was born in a different corner of the world and in very different surroundings. The one thing they have in common is the fact that at a relatively early age and through various circumstances each one of them became a Finnish citizen.
The photos in this exhibition were taken for a book that will be published later this year.
Journalists Anne Tarsalainen and Marja Airola came up with the idea of writing down and publishing the stories of these new Finns and they asked me to join in the project. The editorial manager of Lasten Keskus, Maisa Tonteri believed in the idea. As a result of our combined efforts the book ”Suomalaisia” was born. In it a group of young immigrants tell about their life, experiences and thoughts. The graphic design of the book is done by Igor Polyakov. All the texts by the photos in this exhibition are excerpts from this book.
Abulena, Alexander, Asma, Baker, Batulo, Gina, Kieng, Lucia, Maricel, Hymn, Roni, Wilson, Yusuf and Zahra, thank you so much for sharing your stories with us.
