Father and Son-series

The exhibition is about the world of children, which adults often see as unfinished – but for children, it is complete. Children grow, develop and change as they move towards the world of adults. It is adults’ job to let children experience childhood.

Photographer Sami Parkkinen started taking photos of his son Arvi when he was born in 2012. Observing the child’s world through photos captures feelings and experiences that are universal yet personal. Over the years, photography has become an art project shared by father and son.

Sami Parkkinen says that, as a father of an 8-year-old, he feels strongly about the threats to humanity and the environment, and he takes a stand on these topics. However, he does not simply point out problems, but builds hope for a better world, instead.

Concern for a child is part of being a parent, but so is the other extreme: joy, love, carefreeness and play. Play is the superpower of childhood from which the works in Parkkinen’s art project are derived. In the earliest photos in the series, the child was not yet aware of the camera, but slowly, Arvi grows into an active agent participating in the works. Many of the works are based on a game invented by Arvi, which they have later recreated in front of the camera.

Press release by National museum of Finland on exhibition Father & Son - Photographs by Sami Parkkinen, National museum of Finland, Helsinki, 14.5.-5.9.2021