Sota on onnettomuus, / War is a Disaster,

Henri Airo:
Sota on onnettomuus, / War is a Disaster,

Finnish visual artist Henri Airo explores the links between militarism and a collective memory of war in Finland. For those who’ve not lived through it, historical wars often remain obscure events that challenge and defy imagination. The book combines Airo’s photographs made at memorial rituals and museums with historical propaganda images collected from the Finnish Army Image Archive, and vernacular images selected from his private family albums. In addition, the work weaves these images together with an array of archival records, from war film pre-production documents and news media clippings to reports relating to Airo’s personal history and his conscription service.

Visual culture serves as a means of imagining and identifying with past conflict. A central theme in the work is the relationship between willing conviction and inherited ideals, and the moral friction they contain.

The text parts of the book are written by Henri Airo, Ahmed Al-Nawas, Susanna Hast, Noora Kotilainen, Saara Särmä, and Leena Vastapuu.

Year: 2024
Pages: 224
Edition: 300
Language: Finnish & English

Page size: 19 x 26,5 cm
Softcover, 3-color screen printed sleeve
Printing: KOPA, Kaunas & Kalasataman Seripaja, Helsinki

ISBN 978-952-65274-2-0