KAHILANIEMI Jaakko

100 Hectares of Understanding

Finland

2019

It is impossible to appreciate the both historical and economic importance of forests in Finland. They cover 71.6 % of the country, i.e. over 26 million hectares. Jaakko Kahilaniemi owns 100 hectares. He attempts to understand this forest that he inherited in 1997. He wonders what nature can offer city populations and tries to find new ways of thinking, experimenting and experiencing the forest. His work is made of found objects, photographed gestures and sculptures made in his forest. His photos are imbued with a secret and mysterious atmosphere.

About the artist

Jaakko Kahilaniemi was born 1989 in Toijala, Finland. He graduated in photography from Helsinki University. His work was recently shown at the Denver Art Museum (the US), Athens Photo Festival (Greece), and Hyères Festival (France). He was selected as the Lens Culture Emerging Talent in 2017 and is one of the finalists at the ING Unseen Talent Award 2018.