NANNA HÄNNINEN (b.1973 Finnish) Manhattan #D from 'The New Landscapes', 2004 chromogenic print signed, titled, dated and numbered '5/5' in ink on label on backing board 43¼ x 55in. (110 x 140cm.)
The Helsinki School: Photography by TaiK, Hatje Cantz, 2005, p.166; Nanna Hänninen: Recordings, Kodoji, 2007, for other images in the series.
Notes
DISTINCTIVELY NORDIC Aspects of Nordic Post-war Photography
Looking on the Nordic photography scene in the late 20th century, it becomes apparent that among the five countries, Sweden was in a leading role up to the 1990s. Following World War II, Sweden emerged as the wealthiest Nordic country and was often a pioneer in introducing new ideas. The country also boasted the richest photographic culture. Unlike the rest of Scandinavia, many Swedish photographers were already internationally oriented by the 50s and settled temporarily in New York or Paris where they studied or worked. During this period, Hans Hammarskiöld befriended Edward Steichen in New York and their relationship led to Steichen selecting as many as seven Swedish photographers for his seminal 1955 exhibition The Family of Man.
In the Nordic countries, educational institutions devoted to photography began to appear as early as 1962 when Christer Strömholm, one of the greatest Swedish photographers, founded his School of Photography in Stockholm. The School produced a large number of leading photographers in the 60s and early 70s. Under Strömholm's influence, documentary photography -- often connected with social consciousness and even political activism among the young -- became a major form of expression throughout Scandinavia.
Similar to the 'photo-boom' of the 70s in the United States and in other European countries, a strong institutional basis for photography was established in the Nordic countries. While photography was accepted as an art form by the public at large, it was not considered a legitimate art form in the contemporary art scene before 1990s. Photography museums were founded in Finland in 1969 and in Sweden in 1971, followed closely by the first photographic galleries, which began to appear in the late 70s in Denmark, Sweden and Finland.
The upswing of photography continued into the 80s and in most cases the photographers themselves remained the initiators of developments within the field. After the rise of social documentary photography, the new generation sought a more subjective and emotional approach. In Sweden, art photographers like Dawid and Gunnar Smoliansky introduced the use of large-format cameras -- preferred by many of today's leading contemporary photographers -- and found inspiration in 1930s European photography. In the 1980s, documentary photographers saw the printed page in the form of magazines and books as the ideal platform to show their work, whereas art photographers focused on creating exhibition quality prints. The concept of the photographic print as an original work of art -- so essential in contemporary photography -- was introduced.
A remarkable feature in Finnish photography in the 1980s was the large number of university educated women photographers who were starting their careers. Among the newcomers was Marjukka Vainio, later master of vocabulary of flowers (lot 48). She is a graduate of the University of Art and Design Helsinki, founded in 1973.
Post-modernism and Anglo-American photographic theory with its post-colonial and feminist aspects reached all Scandinavian countries in the late 80s and early 90s. Together with this new content arrived the new form: black and white images were to be replaced by colour photography. Small-format black and white photos were considered too nostalgic to grasp the essentials of a contemporary society based on consumerism and mass media. Black and white photography was no longer the norm but was used by artists to express intimacy as seen in the work of Martti Jämsä (lot 51). A wide range of new photographic strategies were introduced. The complexity of modern urban society was expressed by appropriating existing imagery of mass media or art, staged photography, photographic installations or critical documentary practices. Identity politics became a part of the photographic arts.
In Finland, after post-modernism, much inspiration was drawn from German photography, notably the Düsseldorf School, but curiously enough, the first Finnish photographer to gain international acclaim was Esko Männikkö (lot 37) in the mid-90s with his documentary-like photographs of unmarried men from the Finnish countryside. Following Männikkö's success, many Finnish photographers have found their way to international recognition with museum and gallery exhibitions, as well as with their works appearing on the global market. Based on these developments in the last ten years, I have the courage to say that Finland has become the super-power of Nordic photography with an exceptional variety of high quality photographic art. Works by Elina Brotherus (lot 31) and Aino Kannisto (lot 41) -- self-portraits in landscapes and interiors -- have become landmarks in Finnish contemporary photography, and alongside them, a large range of other personal voices can be identified.
A meditative landscape -- like Olafur Eliasson's photographs from Iceland (lot 38) -- is often considered the most typical theme in Nordic photography and the myth of people living close to nature is still alive. To some extent this is true. Nordic photographers enjoy the landscape and are fascinated by it, but at the same time, one must keep in mind that very often these representations are linked to a more conceptual approach. Photographers are re-thinking their medium and ways of seeing as in the urban landscapes of Miklos Gaál (lot 35) or Nanna Hänninen (lot 29), in the stereoscopic landscapes of Marko Vuokola (lot 33) or in the work of Jorma Puranen (lot 32), who is working with reflections of light. Landscape is not an end but a tool of expression. Ilkka Halso's work has a serious ecological message (lot 40). Today's landscapes also can be a place where something odd is happening -- a place for narrative. It can suggest mysterious stories like Astrid Kruse Jensen's nocturne views (lot 45), Pekka Luukkola's romantic and mythical landscape with a line of moving fire (lot 49), and Howalt and Søndergaard's monumental hunting scenes (lot 39).
Elina Heikka, Director The Finnish Museum of Photography, Helsinki
'The New Landscapes' follows my sociological interest in the individual who is sensing, understanding and placing herself in the outside world.
NANNA HÄNNINEN, 2007
DISTINCTIVELY NORDIC No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 17.5% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis. This work is number 5 from the sold-out edition of 5 + 2 AP.
Of her series The New Landscapes, Hänninen states: 'The urban landscapes are basically drawings of my body movements that can be seen on photographic material as rhythmical light lines where subject and the scenery melt into a single image. Pictorial motifs divide into different surfaces -- the abstract and the actual. The human presence (breathing, heartbeat, laughter, talking, and walking during the exposure time) merge into the medium of photography, resulting in a process akin to painting. The subject is still strongly presented, whereas the object -- the scenery -- is estranged and thus becomes easier to deal with -- even safer than the actual place.' (Artist statement, 2007)
Hänninen received her MA in Photography at the University of Art and Design Helsinki. Her works have been shown internationally, including the Helsinki School travelling exhibitions, and are held in private and institutional collections, including La Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Fotomuseum Winterthur, and The Finnish Museum of Photography. She lives and works in Kuopio, Finland.
