The exhibition by legendary photographer Risto Vuorimies at Kanneltalo’s gallery showcases iconic music photographs from Finland.

Risto Vuorimies began working as a cover designer for the record label Love Records in spring 1973. One of his first projects was designing the album cover for Hurriganes’ debut Rock’n’Roll All Night Long. At the same time, Vuorimies photographed the cover image for Rauli Badding Somerjoki’s album Muotokuva 1, in which the artist is leaning against a bar table in a small café on Hämeentie. From that point on, Vuorimies spent three years creating a number of covers for albums that would later become highly influential, including Hurriganes’ Roadrunner.

Artists like Isokynä, Kojo, Badding, Maijanen, Tolonen and many others who began performing in the 1970s as part of Finland’s youth music scene have now reached their seventies. That is, those who are still alive. At the time these photos were taken, both the photographer and the musicians were in their twenties. According to Vuorimies, it has been fascinating to browse through the old film negatives, which are in excellent condition and neatly organised in his binders. Using modern technology, Vuorimies has produced this LOVE Images+ photo exhibition from those negatives. Hurriganes, Tasavallan Presidentti, Wigwam, Dave, Alatalo and other Love artists from that era appear stylish, even historic, when displayed on the gallery walls.

The camera is an essential tool for documentation. Without the photographic memories of the 1970s, many would hardly remember the faces and presence of these artists, even though their voices still reach us through various media today. A black-and-white photo tells the story of the tones and melodies of life.

As his most recent material, the photographer presents a Hurriganes-themed collection from 1973–1976, based on the new book Hurriganes – Pyörremyrsky (“Hurriganes – Whirlwind”). In addition, the exhibition includes a selection of photographs of Wigwam and Dave Lindholm.

The exhibition has been supported by the Arts Promotion Centre Finland, the Vapriikki Museum Centre and Kuusankoskitalo.

Everyone is welcome to the gallery exhibition opening on Thursday, 11 September, at 17:00–19:30, and to 16th Avenue’s performance on the café stage at 18:00–19:00.

Risto Vuorimies is a photographer, musician and music journalist.

In the early 1970s, he studied photography in Stockholm. Together with his fellow student Ben Kaila, Vuorimies photographed Finnish immigrants living in Sweden. On Finnish Independence Day in 1972, these photographs were exhibited at the Old Student House in Helsinki, and about twenty years later they were published in the photo book Siirtosuomalainen (Musta Taide, 1994), which earned the authors the State Prize for Photographic Art.

Vuorimies is a great admirer of Cuban music; he has sung and played in the band Septeto Son and produced radio programmes under the name Papá Montero.