Capturing Clouds – The Life and Art of Matti Poutvaara

Having sparked a passion in photography through a correspondence course and self-study, Poutvaara (Poutanen until 1936) honed his skills in professional photography working as a non-commissioned officer specialising in photography and a technician for the Finnish Air Force in 1930–1945. After the wars, Poutvaara became a freelance photographer and gained public renown for photo books published by WSOY, which sold almost half a million copies in total. The exhibition reflects Poutvaara’s long and varied career moving from Karelian force reconnaissance to camera clubs, and from photo-related publication activities to the promotion of domestic tourism. At the same time, the exhibition provides glimpses into the history of Finnish photography and shows us pieces of the lost Finland we can now only see in pictures. The exhibition was curated by art historian Antti Vallius, whose book of the same name will be released in the spring of 2023.