“The Two of Us” will continue until February 25, so the total number of visitors is unclear.
“Numerous Finnish museums have set visitor records this year. Regarding the government’s cuts to culture, this sends a clear message: You must not make financial cuts in culture; culture is critical to people,” says Anna-Kaisa Rastenberger, director of the Museum of Photography, in a press release sent by the museum.
The public had been hoping for Pentti Sammallahti’s photos to be shown for years, so it was unsurprising that the exhibition would be so popular. According to Helsingin Sanomat visual arts editor Aino Frilander, Sammallahti’s (b. 1950) photographs can be characterized by a “soft gray fog”. Sammallahti has photographed a lot in Russia, capturing popular themes such as dogs, children and lovers.
Last year, The Finnish Museum of Photography held 14 exhibitions. Among Sammallahti, the most notable names were Maija Tamme, Adolfon Vera, Hilja Raviniemi and Tiina Itkonen, whose exhibition “Anori – The Silence of the Glacier” depicted Greenlandic families and the landscape. Itkonen has been shooting in Greenland for almost 30 years.
The Finnish Museum of Photographic Art is located at the Cable Factory in Ruoholahti, Helsinki, and the K1 Kämp Gallery in Mikonkatu, Helsinki.
