Ismo Hölttö – Goldsmith of Finnish photography exhibition features Hölttö’s celebrated photos from the 1960s. The iconic Helsinki photos together with powerful portraits taken in the Finnish countryside capture the essence of the social transition and evolution of the 1960s. These images embody the spirit of a nation on the threshold of inevitable change that altered the face of many countries throughout the 19th and 20th centuries: post-war melancholia and sorrowful nostalgia at the loss of agrarian lifestyle, tempered with the optimistic hope of a people transitioning to an urban society.
Ismo Hölttö (b. 1940) is considered one of the most outstanding Finnish photographers of all time. Hölttö shot the main body of his artistic work in the 1960s when he undertook a project photographing a diversity of Finnish people in authentic settings during an era of major social transition. Hölttö received recognition for his portraits already when they were first published, and today his work is compared with that of the best-known names in the history of photography.
Although Ismo Hölttö is best known for his portraits taken in the countryside, he shot the vast majority of his work in his hometown, Helsinki. Hölttö’s Helsinki material make up the finest and most extensive series of photographs documenting the capital city since the work of Signe Brander and I. K. Inha. While these two grand photographers of the beginning of the twentieth century principally focused on recording broader street and city views, Hölttö was interested in the inhabitants of Helsinki and mastered what is undoubtably the most difficult genre of photography: portraiture of people in their authentic living environment.
The world captured by Ismo Hölttö no longer exists. However, behind the nostalgia called forth by these images, Hölttö accomplishes the most important task of a documentarian: he shows us who we used to be. At the same time, he helps us to understand who we are now.
Glasshouse Helsinki gallery is a place for art, design, new ideas, thoughts and innovations.
Glasshouse Helsinki gallery Aleksanterinkatu 13, 1st floor, 00100 Helsinki
Jouko Lehtola (1963–2010) was known as a photographer, especially for his series of photographs depicting young people and youth culture, as well as social issues. Lehtola first gained a reputation as a magazine photographer, and today his name is associated with the biggest stars of Finnish rock. “Jönssi” became a credit photographer of the artists, whose art can be admired in hundreds of album covers and artist and band images.
Ismo Hölttö: Suomalaisen valokuvan kultaseppä 11.–21.5.2022
Ismo Hölttö – Suomalaisen valokuvan kultaseppä,Goldsmith of Finnish Photography
Exhibition 10.5.–21.5.2022
Ismo Hölttö – Goldsmith of Finnish photography exhibition features Hölttö’s celebrated photos from the 1960s. The iconic Helsinki photos together with powerful portraits taken in the Finnish countryside capture the essence of the social transition and evolution of the 1960s. These images embody the spirit of a nation on the threshold of inevitable change that altered the face of many countries throughout the 19th and 20th centuries: post-war melancholia and sorrowful nostalgia at the loss of agrarian lifestyle, tempered with the optimistic hope of a people transitioning to an urban society.
Ismo Hölttö (b. 1940) is considered one of the most outstanding Finnish photographers of all time. Hölttö shot the main body of his artistic work in the 1960s when he undertook a project photographing a diversity of Finnish people in authentic settings during an era of major social transition. Hölttö received recognition for his portraits already when they were first published, and today his work is compared with that of the best-known names in the history of photography.
Although Ismo Hölttö is best known for his portraits taken in the countryside, he shot the vast majority of his work in his hometown, Helsinki. Hölttö’s Helsinki material make up the finest and most extensive series of photographs documenting the capital city since the work of Signe Brander and I. K. Inha. While these two grand photographers of the beginning of the twentieth century principally focused on recording broader street and city views, Hölttö was interested in the inhabitants of Helsinki and mastered what is undoubtably the most difficult genre of photography: portraiture of people in their authentic living environment.
The world captured by Ismo Hölttö no longer exists. However, behind the nostalgia called forth by these images, Hölttö accomplishes the most important task of a documentarian: he shows us who we used to be. At the same time, he helps us to understand who we are now.
Glasshouse Helsinki gallery is a place for art, design, new ideas, thoughts and innovations.
Glasshouse Helsinki gallery
Aleksanterinkatu 13, 1st floor, 00100 Helsinki
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Jouko Lehtola (1963–2010) was known as a photographer, especially for his series of photographs depicting young people and youth culture, as well as social issues. Lehtola first gained a reputation as a magazine photographer, and today his name is associated with the biggest stars of Finnish rock. “Jönssi” became a credit photographer of the artists, whose art can be admired in hundreds of album covers and artist and band images.
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