Janne Riikonen: Notes for Our Legacy

In his black and white photographs of empty billboards, taken in different parts of the world, Janne Riikonen studies the connection between the visual manifestations of capitalism and public psyche through the technique of reduction. This is not only evident in the photographs themselves but also in the gradual disappearance of the images towards the end of the book. In its materiality, Riikonen’s elegant thread-bound book with no covers makes full use of the book form. The layout is simple, but effective. It also cleverly uses the space created between the first and the last page as a setting  in which something happens. 

Photographs and concept: Janne Riikonen
Graphic design: Janne Riikonen
Language: English
Publisher: Kult Books
Released: October 2023
Edition: 300
Printing: Dolce (Greece)
Binding: Future Format (Greece)
ISBN 978-952-94-6116-5

Aura Saarikoski: Grey Mélange

Aura Saarikoski’s book is a combination of autobiographical text and photographs. It asks us what is true about the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves, and studies the incompatibility of the different memories two people have of the same moment. Saarikoski’s conceptual yet nostalgic work is coherently presented in this ambitious small book.

Photographs and concepts: Aura Saarikoski
Graphic design: Jaakko Suomalainen
Texts: Aura Saarikoski
Translations: Kasper Salonen
Language: Finnish, English
Retouching: Petri Kuokka
Publisher: Khaos Publishing
Released: May 2022
Edition: 210
Printing: Printon AS, Tallinna
ISBN 978-952-94-6116-5

Lorenzo "SerraGlia" Servi: CONE WARS

In his book, Lorenzo "SerraGlia" Servi constructs a fictional narrative on the seemingly banal topic of traffic cones. At first, the approach seems purely satirical, but once you read further into the book, the jocular tone transitions into a critical examination of the classic notions of photographic truth and photography as evidence. Through the use of humour, SerraGlia's project is as disarming as it is cautionary, serving as a wake-up call for all of us living in the hyper-digitalised world of photo enhancing, image manipulation and artificial intelligence. The growing concerns about the veracity of photographic images amplified by AI give SerraGlia's work a new sense of urgency.

Photographs and concepts: Lorenzo "SerraGlia" Servi & Other Editions
Graphic design: Lorenzo "SerraGlia" Servi
Texts: Lorenzo "SerraGlia" Servi
Proofreading: Henry Loveless
Language: English
Publisher: Other Editions
Released: September 2023
Edition: 300
Printing: K Print
ISBN 978-952-65286-0-1

Milla Talassalo: 3

Milla Talassalo’s book explores identity and selfhood in the context of growing up as one of triplet sisters. The approach is intimate and documentary, and the work has a pleasant quietness to it. In the book, Talassalo combines portraits, archival material, still lifes and memorabilia, but where the book really elevates itself beyond a series of images is in the picture editing. 3- We are the A, the B, and the C  is an excellent example of picture editing that trusts both the images, the book form and the viewer as the narrative is slowly revealed by editing strategies used throughout the publication. The decisions in terms of size and design suit the intimacy of the narrative, and the book becomes a family portrait as well as a dialogue between the artist and her triplet sisters. The eternal question of "who am I, on my own and in relation to others?" gets a versatile and sensitive treatment in Talassalo’s book. 

Photographs: Milla Talassalo
Graphic design: Shani Armon
Editing and concept: Hannamari Shakya
Texts: Milla Talassalo
Translations: Jari Käkelä
Language: Finnish, English
Film image scanning and processing: Petri Kuokka
Reprography: Sebastiaan Hanekroot / Colour and Books, Alankomaat
Publisher: Raw View Editions
Released: April 2023
Edition: 300
Printing: Wilco Art Books, Alankomaat
ISBN 978-952-68876-4-7

Maija Tammi: Hulda/Lilli

Maija Tammi’s Hulda / Lilli is a photographic art book with two main characters: a locust and a chameleon – predator and prey – and two beginnings. In its playful yet profound manner Hulda / Lilli examines empathy through the means of storytelling. The form is reminiscent of both nature documentaries and children’s picture books and, together with the images and short texts written by Tammi and writer Juhani Karila, often make the viewer smile. But Hulda / Lilli is not aiming to be just funny: with the foldout section in the middle and its interviews with artists and experts in psychology and neuroscience, Tammi’s work is also a study on biology, nature, human empathy, life and death. 

Photographs: Maija Tammi
Graphic design: Ville Tietäväinen ja Maija Tammi
Texts: Juhani Karila and Maija Tammi
Language: English
Reprography: Asko Rokala
Publisher: Kult Books
Released: March 2023
Edition: 300
Printing: Tallinna Raamatutrükikoda, Estonia
ISBN: 978-91-987606-6-8