Aki-Pekka Sinikoski, Photographer from Helsinki, Finland
"I spent most of my childhood summers in the Finnish archipelago, where we lived in our old fishing boat.
As a kid, I learned that if I make a campfire, people will gather around it. We traveled to a new island almost every night, and I did a campfire to meet new people and hear amazing stories of their lives.
Every time I did a campfire, I got new stories. I just listened to and memorized these stories, and after the summer, I told the stories to my friends in the city.
I think I'm still doing the same thing. I am collecting stories and telling them to other people with the help of my art.
Many of my photo works are about time, identity and change. I'm not looking for decisive moments but rather the stagnant feeling just after these moments."
Aki-Pekka Sinikoski is a multi-faceted portrait photographer whose works have been exhibited worldwide. You might have seen their photos also on different media like Vogue, The Guardian, or Finnish TV News.
Sinikoski is also working as an author. His debut book Under the Moon (Kuun valossa/Under månen) was nominated as one of the most exciting children's books of the year by Suomen Kuvalehti. Journalist Paavo Häikiö said in Finland's leading culture program in TV (KulttuuriCocktail) that Sinikoski's book is the best children's book he has read for many years.
Besides all the things listed above, Sinikoski has also built robots, made music videos and short films, built sound installations, played in a Gameboy Bigband, worked as an Art Director and A&R for different artists in the music industry. Sinikoski is also a founder, executive producer, and curator of the Helsinki Biennale exhibitions since 2006.
Sinikoski has studied in Kunstakademiet at Kunsthøgskolen i Bergen, Norway, and graduated with a Master of Art from the Department of Media at Aalto University, Finland. His major subject is from the Aalto University's Institution of Photography, and his minor subject is from the Aalto University School of Business.
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During the years Aki-Pekka Sinikoski’s artistic work has been supported by Suomen kulttuurirahasto, Taike (Arts Promotion Centre Finland), Frame Contemporary Art Finland, Svenska kulturfonden, Patricia Seppälän Säätiö, Jokes, Stiftelsen Finlandssvensk Bokkultur, Konstsamfundet, and WSOY:n kirjallisuussäätiö.
Sinikoski's debut book Under the Moon (Kuun valossa/Under månen) was published in the Spring 2020 by Schildts & Söderströms. As an author, he is represented by Helsinki Literary Agency.
EXHIBITIONS / INSTALLATIONS / PERFORMANCES / SCREENINGS
Below is a small selection of Aki-Pekka Sinikoski’s exhibitions, installations, and performances.
New Ghosts, Latvian Museum of Photography, Riga, Latvia, 2022
New Ghosts. Meitar Award exhibition - Photo Is:rael, Nahariya, Israel, 2022
New Ghosts. Kuala Lumpur Photo Awards, Kuala Lumpur, Malesia, 2022
New Ghosts. Meitar Award exhibition - Photo Is:rael, Kfar Yona, Israel, 2022
I Love Dogs, Head On Photo Festival, Sydney, Australia, 2021
New Ghosts. Meitar Award exhibition - Photo Is:rael, Tel-Aviv, Israel, 2021
New Ghosts, Turku Kunsthalle, Turku, Finland, 2021
New Ghosts, Kranj Foto Fest, Kranj, Slovenia 2021
New Ghosts, Northern Photographic Centre, Oulu, Finland, 2021
New Ghosts, Backlight 2021, The Sámi Cultural Centre Sajos, Inari, Finland, 2021
I Love Dogs, VB-Photo Centre, Kuopio, Finland, 2021
Last Machos, shortlisted, Best One Shot, Kolga Tbilisi Photo Festival, Georgia
New Ghosts. Director’s Choice, photoSCHWEIZ, Zürich, Switzerland, 2021
New Ghosts, Photo Vogue Festival, Milan, Italy, 2020
New Ghosts, Hippolyte Gallery, Helsinki, Finland, 2020
New Ghosts, Yeltsin Center, Yekaterinburg, Russia, 2020
Finnish Teens, Revela't Festival, Barcelona, Spain, 2020
New Ghosts, Backlight Photo Festival, Tampere, Finland, 2020
New Ghosts, Galleria Ratamo, Jyväskylä, Finland, 2020
New Ghosts, Head On Photo Festival, Sydney, Australia, 2019
New Ghosts, Lumiere Brothers Center for Photography, Moscow, Russia, 2019
New Ghosts, Off Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia, 2019
Finnish Teens, Wiesbaden Fototage, Germany, 2019
New Ghosts, More than 20 short term exhibitions & performances, USA, Frace, Spain, Andorra, Finland, 2017-2019
Last Machos, Creat Space Gallery, Helsinki, Finland, 2017
Northern Encounters, Northern Photographic Centre, Oulu, Finland, 2017
Last Machos, Galleria Vanha Kappalaisentalo, Porvoo, Finland, 2016
Endless Summer, Ii, Finland, 2015
What Future, Encontros Da Imagem, Portugal, 2012
Finnish Teens (Thank You for Watching), Screening, Les rencontres Arles, France, 2012
Finnish Teens, Finnish Museum of Photography, Helsinki, Finland, 2011
Production and curating: Helsinki Biennale 2008, Design Museum, Helsinki, Finland, 2008–2009
Square Minutes. International Photography Festival, Leipzig, Germany, 2007
Production and curating: Helsinki Biennale 2006, Myymälä2 Gallery, Helsinki, Finland, 2006
Bye Bye Bergen (And I Won’t Miss Your Ladies), Project Gallery, Bergen, Norway, 2004
