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Finns Down Under at the Migration Museum
 

Media Release - March 2007
images to accompany release

The Migration Museum’s latest free exhibition Finns Down Under: A Photographic Record opens on Friday 6 April 2007. A collection of photographs of Finns living in Australia, the exhibition stems from Finnish-Australian photographer Kirsi Reinikka’s book Finns Down Under.

Finnish migrants settled in many parts of Australia and came from a range of social backgrounds. As well as adapting to their new country, they brought with them a range of ideas, skills and experiences unique to their heritage. In this unusual and exceptionally beautiful work each image reflects the harshness of the Australian landscape and the resilience of the people, and is a visual representation of Finnish settlement in the latter part of the 20thc.

Kirsi Reinikka moved to Australia with her family in 1996. She soon started contributing articles and photos to her employer, the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat. One of the first articles, published in spring 1997, was a compilation of stories by Australian Finns. It was the starting point for her idea to make a book of “immigrant portraits.” Over time she started to remember Finland, sometimes longingly, and pondered what other immigrants were recalling and remembering from Finland. So she started researching Finnish emigration and the location of Finns in Australia. She read books, visited the Finnish Embassy in Canberra to investigate facts and figures and, most importantly, started chatting with Finns wherever she met them, whilst keeping in mind a book project. It took 10 years before the idea materialised into the book and then came this exhibition.

Kirsi wanted those featured in the book to represent Australian Finns as widely as possible: different genders, age groups, backgrounds, home towns, occupations, and interests, so she traveled Australia widely. Combined with the photographic colour portraits of Australian Finns are their own memories from Finland. When interviewing people Kirsi discovered that quite a few people remembered the same sorts of things as she did: childhood, summer, freezing winter weather, foods, scents. The most unpleasant memories seemed to do with economically poor environments, unemployment, the darkness of the winter and wartime.

When asked about the project Kirsi said “I am happy to have made Finns Down Under for several reasons, not the least because through the process I have had the privilege to meet the immigrants who occupy this book. I am especially thankful to them for being willing to share their memories with me – and you. When I started the book, my wish was to publish a piece of Australian Finnish history. My wish has been granted. I am thankful to all those people who made this book possible.”

What      Finns Down Under: A Photographic Record
When     6 April – 27 August 2007
              10am – 5pm Weekdays, 1pm – 5pm Weekends and Public Holidays
Cost       FREE entry

Finns Down Under Project supporters: Alfred Kordelin Foundation; Patricia Seppälä Foundation; The Finnish Cultural Foundation.

The Finns Down Under book will be available to purchase from the Museum for the duration of the exhibition.

Media Contact: Lee Tillett, Marketing Co-ordinator. Phone: +61 8203 9868, Mobile:   0419 860 106, Email: ltillett@history.sa.gov.au

Migration Museum: 82 Kintore Avenue, Adelaide SA 5000. Phone: +61 8207 7580