Visiting Art/ist 2025 – Aino Väänänen: Dandelions

PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION. 

24.3.2025, 6 pm | Artist Talk (in English)

Dandelions is a long-term documentary photography project that Aino Väänänen has been developing since 2018. Through immersive photography in Romania’s major cities, she documents the opioid crisis, people living with or at risk of HIV and their struggle with addiction. Her approach has evolved from traditional portraiture towards a more immersive style that compassionately reflects the intensity and complexity of her subjects’ world.

Working at a deliberately slow pace, Väänänen spends several days with each person she photographs, creating space for genuine encounters and mutual trust. In Romania’s urban landscapes, she has witnessed a reality colored by chaos, survival, and love. Through long-term commitment and trust-based relationships, she has gradually documented a world in which these elements intertwine.

Given the stigma often associated with drug addiction, Väänänen finds it important to portray individual stories in an empathetic yet honest way, aiming to humanize the discourse around addiction.

Aino Väänänen is a Berlin-based visual storyteller and documentary photographer whose work explores themes of social (in)justice with sensitivity and raw authenticity. Through long-term documentary projects, she has investigated subjects such as the opioid crisis in Romania, LGBTQ+ communities in Russia and Ukraine, and environmental changes in Northern Scandinavia. Väänänen’s work has been exhibited internationally, and she was named Artist of the Year 2022 by the Northern Photographic Centre. She is also the publisher of the independent photography zine We Shall See, has taught photography, and serves as a member of the Red Cross communication reserve. Väänänen holds a Master’s degree in Slavic and Southeast European Studies from the University of Helsinki, with a focus on the Balkan region.

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The Visiting Art/ist Programme

The first Visiting Art/ist exhibition, which offered Finnish artists based in Berlin the opportunity to showcase their work to a local audience, was held in 2015. Over the years, the project’s format has evolved, adapting to both new locations and the personal practices of the Institut’s rotating Head of Programme. What has remained constant is the founding idea behind the Visiting Art/ist exhibition: to present Finnish contemporary art to art professionals in particular, which can lead to fruitful follow-up projects and increase the artist’s international recognition and visibility.

Unlike in previous years, when the project was invitation-based, this year an open call was organized with the aim of discovering new artists. Sophie Boysen, director and curator of the Tropez Gallery in Humboldthain, took part in selecting this year’s artist. We received applications from a total of 24 artists, and look forward to following their work in the future.