Are We There

In 1929 a group of Finns, including my great grandparents and their family, set out to Brazil to build a utopian community in the tropics. Their mission was to live in harmony with nature, separated from the capitalist society and to lead a life based on vegetarianism. The group settled on abandoned mountainous land in the state of Rio de Janeiro and founded Penedo, which despite its practical difficulties became one of the most famous examples of Finnish utopia migration in the 20th century.

Decades later, I grew up listening to melodies from Brazil, whether they came from my grandaunt’s bossa nova guitar or from my father’s fado records. This ambience led me to the old village which is nowadays surrounded by the memory of the utopian era as well as the highly biodiverse but endangered Atlantic Forest.

Are We There investigates migration, memory and the connection between human and nature. It tells about the reflection of history in today’s world, as well as about the concept of utopia and longing for something distant as a catalyst for human action. Archival photos from my family's album are printed into risographs and draw connections with colorful leaks and burns on film, alluding to the material origin and constructed nature of a photograph.

At the core of the work lies a performative journey to the old village, where I try to build a connection with the past by re-imagining and reconstructing it. As with the original settlers, the work stems from a primitive desire to connect with the earth and the non-human world. Through rituals that immerse the human body in its environment, I explore the questions of origin, belonging and coexistence.

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