Just Small Hiccups by Anni Hanén

My father once told me that my world is like a black and white image, but I guess my heart has found it ́s own colours.

I began my Just Small Hiccups story after I moved back to my childhood home with my own family. I photographed the feelings that arose in the house full of memories, with it ́s garden and the nearby forest. This photographic story is a poem, made from a deeply personal point of view, however portraying the universal feelings to understand life. With the pictures and texts, it addresses growing up, how we see ourselves and each other in a family.

About Anni Hanén

Anni Hanén was born in Lahti, Finland in 1981. She received her BA (2010) and MA (2013) from Aalto University, School of Art, Design and Architecture, Department of Media from Photography. After graduating she has worked with personal long-term series “Just Small Hiccups” and “Trace”. She has created her first photo book from the series Just Small Hiccups, published by Kehrer Verlag. Hanén has influence on fine art photography field in Finland being member of the board (2017-) at Union of Artist Photographers in Finland. From 2014 she has been teaching and keeping workshops in visual arts and photography in Helsinki area, inter alia in the Finnish Museum of Photography. Since 2004 she has participated in solo and group exhibitions and has received various grants. Hanén lives and works in Helsinki.

Hanén ́s works are visual poems, made from deeply personal point of view, however portraying the universal feelings to understand live. Her starting points are often daily notes, but it is power of imagination that matters. Her aim is to create own language to each of her stories.

Hanén ́s first monograph “Just Small Hiccups” was published fall 2016, by the world’s leading publishers of photo books, Kehrer Verlag. The reflections of her own childhood combined with her child ́s view creates a visual dialogue between mother and son, past and present. This language they create together in this series expresses emotions, remembrance and memories.

In Hanén ́s new project “Trace” she reflects different traces of memory; those expressing emotions, places or people. With this work she uses both cyanotype and digital collage combining archive materials and staged photography to tell stories that are clearly separate from our day to day reality.

Hanén ́s works have been exhibited in solo exhibitions in Finland and in different group exhibitions in Europe. Her works have been seen also in international photography festivals, as 3rd Photo Biennial of Beijing (organized by Cafa Art Museum) and in Festival Circulation(s) in Paris. Festival Circulation(s) curator Natalie Herschdorfer chose Hanén ́s “Just Small Hiccups” work as one of the most touching projects in the festival. Her works has been chosen also as finalist in many international competitions. Hanén ́s works are frequently represented in various photography medias and blogs. [Official Website]