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| Exhibition view Exposure Gallery, Ottawa |
An eye-catching documentation of the
people and the land of Svartsmara, part of Finland's Åland Islands,
is now on view at the Exposure Gallery. Alli Asudeh's series of
medium format colour photographs and Polaroids evoke the simple farm
life in rural Finland.
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| Exhibition view Exposure Gallery, Ottawa |
Her artist statement: “I grew up moving every few years, always within the city but often having to change schools. The constant flux in my life was at times destructive, but it allowed me to grow into myself. I have often wondered what it would have been like to have had a more grounded childhood, and a simpler life.
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| Exhibition view Exposure Gallery, Ottawa |
After meeting someone from the
Åland Islands, and hearing stories about the village of Svartsmara,
I knew I wanted to visit and meet the people and document the land.
Svartsmara has roughly seventy full time residents. Generations of
farmers who live in a beautiful village on the Åland Islands, an
archipelago of over 6,000 islands with a population of approximately
28,000 Swedish speaking Finns.
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| Two of the portraits by Ottawa photographer Alli Asudeh |
I spent my time in Svartsmara photographing the small farming village preserved in rich family history, and getting to know the warm and inviting villagers. I had the opportunity to help on a lettuce farm, celebrate May Day, visit seaside cliffs and 19th century fortress ruins, and hear stories of local folklore.”
Facts:
A Visit with the Finns – Photographs
by Alli Asudeh
Exposure Gallery
August 1, 2013 – September 3, 2013
