4 April–4 May 2025
Photographic Gallery Hippolyte

The exhibition Apollo by Joel Hilska-Heikkinen consists of photographs, a photobook, and objects used in scientific research that the artist received from their father. The origin of the work is a childhood memory of a family trip to the Åland islands, where the artist’s father believed they had seen an Apollo butterfly but was unable to photograph it or otherwise confirm the sighting. Over a decade later, the memory resurfaced, and Hilska-Heikkinen asked their father on a new journey to search for the endangered butterfly— before it would be too late.

The photographs in the exhibition were taken on 31 July 2022 during a butterfly excursion in Lohja, in a rocky area near an old landfill where Apollo butterflies have been observed. After a long search and against all expectations, the butterfly was found—but joy was accompanied by an unexpected sense of disappointment. Hilska-Heikkinen’s idea of a broader journey, covering the entire distribution area of the butterfly and ultimately leading back to Åland, where the memory originated, faded with the discovery.

Apollo explores the nature of memory, the significance of shared experiences, and the agency of photography. Hilska-Heikkinen examines photography’s function as evidence of an encounter with the butterfly, as well as its various uses in both art and natural sciences. Designed with the exhibition space in mind, the installation at Hippolyte Studio invites viewers to examine the images through binoculars or magnifying glasses, offering an alternative way to engage with photography while shaping the spatial experience.

The works also highlight how materials shape the interpretation of a photograph. The papers and methods used to create the photobook, such as Risograph printing, make the images appear differently from the prints mounted on the walls. To hide a butterfly, in turn, encourages viewers to touch the paper gently, reminding them of its fragility and creating a connection to the butterfly and its delicate nature.

Joel Hilska-Heikkinen (b. 1997) is a photographic artist working with lens-based practices, text, and sound. Their works deal with the act of seeing and its connections to the camera apparatus and language. Recurring themes in their practice include questions of how the more-than-human is represented through art and science, and how one’s relationship with the natural world is shaped by lived experience, the use of language, and memory. Hilska-Heikkinen is currently completing a Master of Fine Arts degree at the Academy of Fine Arts, University of the Arts Helsinki, and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Photography from the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, in 2021. Their work has been featured in group exhibitions in Finland and the Netherlands. The exhibition at Hippolyte Studio is their first solo show.