Out of the ruins of a paper mill, the new Kangas district rises, one building at a time. Kangas Revisited is a multifaceted portrayal by seven photographic artists capturing a historic area in the midst of transformation. This work continues the Kangas project, begun a decade ago, which documents the area’s transition from a century-old paper mill complex to a residential neighborhood.

For a year and a half, artists Mikko Auerniitty, Nina Huisman, Matti Häyrynen, Kapa, Susanna Kääntä, Mika Nykänen, and Jukka Silokunnas observed and interpreted the Kangas area. Some viewed it from a distance, while others focused on fine details, and still others raised their cameras high to capture the landscape from above: architecture, wastelands, abandoned signs, mounds of gravel, passersby, faces of the district, tags, the beauty of movement, dry humor… Fascinating glimpses of transformation.

Kangas Revisited is the 35th-anniversary work of the Centre for Creative Photography and the second installment in the project documenting changes in the Kangas area. The exhibition will be open at the Aalto2 Museum Centre until February 16, 2025. The Kangas Revisited book will be published on the opening day, December 13, continuing the series begun by Kangas Metamorphosis, released in 2014. The next, and possibly final, installment of the project will be released in 2034.

Photographer and visual artist Jukka Silokunnas (BFA) captures unauthorized art as part of the public art of the Kangas district. His photographs document graffiti, tags, and street art culture, exploring the question, “What kind of dialogue exists between public and unauthorized art?”

Dance photographer Matti Häyrynen (MSc Econ., VAT) brings dance-oriented perspectives to his images, reimagining the ways spaces can be perceived. Empty spaces, the forms and movement inside and outside buildings, set the rhythm for dance.

Kapa (Martti Kapanen) observes and even laughs at the advertising slogans of the Kangas district. His images,
which continue the tradition of architectural photography, reveal small, intriguing elements amid a massive, imposing environment.

Nina Huisman (MA), a visual artist and media arts expert, and Mika Nykänen (MA, MedEAT) explore how place and people intersect in the landscape. Their aerial images depict Kangas and its residents in a vertical dimension, as Kangas embodies time through history and people. The old factory buildings stand alongside new apartment buildings, which in turn comment on the past through their appearance and materials. History lives on, manifesting in the present and reaching towards the future.

Mikko Auerniitty (MA) draws from Romantic-era aesthetics in his work, capturing images filled with light and a
sense of humanity within the area. Auerniitty imbues his images with emotion and faith in the power of imagination.

Susanna Kääntä creates portraits of Kangas residents in their homes, workplaces, or places of study. Her individual portraits form a mosaic of faces that together represent the spirit of Kangas.

More information on the exhibition:  

Mari Murtoniemi
Alvar Aalto Museum
mari.murtoniemi@alvaraalto.fi
+358 40 355 9162