The Image Remains - A Survey of Ismo-Pekka Heikinheimo's Choreographies in Photographs

The photography exhibition presents images of works by Ismo-Pekka Heikinheimo created over five decades. The works explore communication between people through movement, dance, spatiality, light, costumes and scenography - with particular focus on gender, sexuality, the aesthetics of the body, the relationship between dance and architecture, and the encounter between dancer and light.

Heikinheimo, together with his collaborators, has created several large-scale dance works for the theatre hall of the Stoa Cultural Centre: Come Soon for I See Stars (1992), ToF (1998), Afrodisias (2000) and Press the Button! (2002), three of which premiered at the Helsinki Festival. The photographs of these works are by photographer Sakari Viika. Viika is one of Finland's most renowned photographers of dance, and his collaboration with Heikinheimo began in 1991 with the work Jokamiehen niksikirja, which he photographed for the Dance Theatre Hurjaruuthi. The collaboration has continued with the documentation of nearly 40 choreographies. Other photographers in the exhibition include Minna Hatinen, Matti Häyrynen and Risto Salmijärvi.

Ismo-Pekka Heikinheimo has created over 60 choreographies, including three commissioned works for the Helsinki Festival, and has toured in 15 countries from Namibia to Iceland. He has performed in works by international choreographers - including Carolyn Carlson, Andrew Degroat, Sylvie Guillermin, Kilina Kremona, Didier Deschamps, Lea Anderson, Jessica Iwanson, Nanna Nilsson, Christine Meldahl and Ólöf Ingófsdóttir - and has danced with, among others, Zodiak - Centre for New Dance, Helsinki City Theatre, Aurora Ballet, Dance Theatre Hurjaruuthi and Dance Theatre Raatikko.

Heikinheimo graduated as a dancer-choreographer from London Contemporary Dance School in 1989 and earned a Master of Arts degree from Aalto University's Master's Programme in Visual Culture in 2014. From 1996-2001 he taught dance art at the Theatre Academy's Department of Dance Art, and from 2005-2010 at the University of Central Finland.