Archiving ‘en plein air’

Sauli Sirviö:
Archiving ‘en plein air’

"Combining a striking variety of materials with a PVC binding comb, the publication holds together because of its insightful and elegant structure. The book, fragmented yet consistently thought out, is the type of publication that could be seen more in Finnish art publishing. A monograph does not always have to be a hardcover monolith."
- The Finnish Book Art Committee, 2024

Archiving ‘en plein air’ brings together projects and works created by Finnish visual artist Sauli Sirviö in Helsinki, Paris, and New York in recent years. The photographs and other visual materials are accompanied by a text by Miina Hujala, sharing the same title as the book. This text delves into the vibrant world behind Sirviö's works:

“I see Sauli’s work as gestures of containment and exposure. The contested utility of infrastructure (passageways, escalators, elevators, aqueducts and sewers of past and present) tacitly forms the city but is not meant to be explored in depth. Sauli’s artworks offer compensation for this unspoken proscription. We walk on the streets without noticing the bitumen underneath, the layers of stones and stigma. Exposing the conditions and materials that surround us requires maneuvering structures and revealing layers, as well as generating them.”

The book is made up of pages printed on a variety of papers and other materials. The printing is handcrafted using inkjet and laser printing, as well as Helsinki sunlight burning.

Year: 2024
Pages: 50
Edition: 100
Language: English

The Most Beatiful Books selection 2024
by The Finnish Book Art Committee