Finnish Teens
I’m Aki-Pekka Sinikoski. I was born in 1978 in Porvoo, Finland. Drawing was my favourite pastime in the army. After the army I decided to spend a year in a demilitarised zone, the Åland Islands, where I started taking pictures on a daily basis. I have made a living from photography since 2003.
In addition to photography, I have also been active in arts fields . At the time my intention was to continue working in arts on a collective basis. These plans were stopped, when my brother became ill and died in the spring 2009. I no longer had the energy to be the person who brought people and things together. I began shooting the Finnish Teens series mainly to avoid sorrow.
I shot the series for a long time, very much on a hit-and-miss basis, without a clear understanding of why I was photographing teenagers. Afterwards I noticed, that I had been interested in changes. On the borderline between childhood and adulthood, and the awakening of identity of teenagers looking for themselves.
I believe that Finnish Teens is a colourful, gently humorous but sensitive photo document about the lives of Finnish teenagers. The photographs interlink and complement each other like the individuals stories in a collection of novels. The light only shines on the surface. What you see is a reflection. What do faces know about light ?
Facing youth
September 14 – October 28, 2012
Mosteiro de Tibães
Rua do Mosteiro – Mire de Tibães
Braga, Portugal
