Rooms of Man
Jaakko Heikkilä at Sideshow Gallery
opening January 17, 2004

Sideshow Gallery, is pleased to present, "Rooms of Man," Finnish photographer Jaakko Heikkilä's first New York exhibition. The opening reception for this exhibition will be held on Saturday, January 17, 2004 from 6:00-9:00 p.m. Sideshow is located at 319 Bedford Avenue, Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

For "Rooms of Man," Heikkilä photographed individuals in their home environments in Finland, quiet villages in Russia and in bustling New York City. This panoramic series of interior landscapes, focuses on the human condition at the turn of the century. Large horizontal panoramas and vertical images that stretch from the ceiling to the floor invite viewers to immerse themselves in the rooms inhabited by Heikkilä's subjects.

Humanity is the central focus of Heikkilä's work. As an artist, he offers a tenderness that allows his subjects to blossom — and reveal their individuality.

Heikkilä has had solo exhibitions of his photographs in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Germany and England. His photographic books include "Meanmaa," "Bright Humility," "Pohjoinen" and "Pomors."

Heikkilä was awarded first prize in the "Time and Nature" International Art Competition in Hanau, Germany in 2002. Last fall, his work was presented in the Mikhailovsky (St. Michael's) Castle, a branch of the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg, in a contemporary art exhibition to promote a cleaner environment.

Heikkilä, born in 1956, lives with his son in the village of Kukkola in the valley of the Torne River, which forms the boundary between Sweden and Finland, only a few miles south of the Arctic Circle.