23.6.–2.8.2026

Joel Karppanen travelled to Spain’s Costa del Sol with his grandfather to portray the local Finnish community. The resulting photographs were presented last summer in Madrid as part of the prestigious PHotoESPAÑA festival. Now the exhibition is shown in Helsinki, but in a different tone. The land of dreams has become unreachable, and the grandfather’s world has gradually narrowed to his living room sofa. Karppanen renders this change with quiet tenderness, honouring the years his grandfather spent wintering in Fuengirola. The exhibition sits naturally alongside his earlier socially engaged work, while also marking a shift towards a more experimental and deeply personal mode of expression.

Joel Karppanen (b. 1993) is a Helsinki-based photographer, filmmaker and the editor-in-chief of Taide magazine. He is known for his long-term documentary projects exploring labour, class and social change. His work has been exhibited at venues including the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, KunstHausWien and Malva. Satumaa is his third solo exhibition at Gallery Halmetoja.

We will celebrate the exhibition opening on Wednesday 17 June, from 5–7 pm, just before the Midsummer festivities. Welcome!