Sari Poijärvi

Kasari eli 80-luku (the 80s) – I am converting a kaleidoscopic, visual and personal history into an exhibition and book about the 1980s.

There are many parts to the whole of this installation-like exhibition: photographs of 80s celebrities commissioned by the press and museums, photographs taken by me as a press photographer (of, for example, George Bush Sr. at the market) and as a novice photographic artist, photographs from school projects (for example, from the Puotilaa hengiltä production by Jouko Turkka), and some filming, which I learned at the shoot of a video for the band Tavaramarkkinat.

Some of my materials are articles related to photography as, on its journey to assume its place alongside other art forms, photographic art fought to free itself of its pariah status specifically during the 1980s. The decade also saw the beginning of the rise of female photographers, a pioneer of which I myself was.

The book discusses this scorned decade through my photographs and the stories of Kjell Westö. I asked Westö to join in on my project for many reasons, a few of which are: firstly, I really like the way he writes; secondly, he was also a young adult during the 1980s and lived in Helsinki; and thirdly, we both support Argentina in football. Luckily, he consented and came on board to write the book.

As Westö states, the 1980s has become a neon cliché that places emphasis on greed. However, the 80s was a decade of great breakthroughs. The arc from the beginning of the 80s with its punk-spirited youth culture with influences from the 70s, to the fall of the Berlin Wall at the end of the decade is dazzling. The book, Kasari, will be published by Otava during the autumn of 2011.

During my time at the Saari Residence, I will pick the pictures for the exhibition, write my own contribution to the book’s texts and refine the cover design via email with graphic designer Pekka Niemi. We will also combine our artistic forces with exhibition architect Pia Ilonen in order to transform the exhibition space to reflect the 80s.

The Kasari exhibition will open at the Virka Gallery in Helsinki on April 13th 2011 and will continue until May 22nd. During the autumn, it can be seen at the Kotka Photographic Center, and hopefully elsewhere as well.

My artist’s photograph was taken by Hans von Schantz.