Kyrö x Kimmo Syväri popup exhibition

Kyrö – like most of the Finnish population – was conceived and born in a sauna. The stars were aligned as a bottle of rye whisky was opened. The five friends having a sauna and the sip from the bottle started to ponder why no one in Finland was making rye whisky despite rye playing such a huge role in Finnish history and tradition. So, they decided to start a distillery making rye whiskies. The idea seemed like a great one even in the morning, and that is where the story of Kyrö began in 2012. Kyrö has since the beginning had a strong and somewhat controversial visual brand identity. No brand truly comes to life without a unique visual presence. And for that visual presence, the black and white butts, the picturesque take on the small town of Isokyrö, all the Kyrö people and fun stuff, the delicious product photos, the whole deal, Kyrö owes a big thanks to Kimmo Syväri.

Kimmo Syväri is a Helsinki-based photographer, entrepreneur and creative thinker. He has been closely involved in the visual storytelling of Kyrö Distillery Company since 2013, almost from the very birth of the company.

“I wanted to portray the brand in an authentic yet personal Finnish way. Finnishness to me is quirky, odd and a bit dangerous. You know the moment when Dorothy realizes she is not in Sweden anymore type of thing? Kind of “after all, you never know when you are going to die so might as well embrace the moment”- mentality. I feel I was very fortunate to land this collaboration. The right people came together at the right time. I just happened to be there with them.”

Indeed, it’s all about great minds thinking alike: it takes a dreamer and a darer to recognize others with the same take on life. After all, a great visual would be a lot less without the story, and the story would not be complete without the visual interpretation of it.

In collaboration with Kyrö Distillery Helsinki Photo Festival presents a popup exhibition with Helsinki-based photographer and creative thinker Kimmo Syväri. He has been closely involved in the visual storytelling of Kyrö since the beginning of 2012. The exhibition is open now for public and ends February 18th at our popup space in the West Terminal 1 in Jätkäsaari.

www.kyrodistillery.fi
www.helsinkiphotofestival.com

Exhibition will take place at the Helsinki West Terminal T1 (Länsiterminaali T1) in Jätkäsaari from February 2-18, 2023 (Sun-Wed 11.00-18.00, Thu-Sat 11.00-23.00).

Beside Kyrö x Kimmo Syväri popup exhibition do not miss the opportunity to see Lynch’s perplexing but alluring photographic art in person this spring! We will close our door February 28, 2023!

This year, Helsinki Photo Festival celebrates its sigth anniversary with two extraordinary exhibitions: the retrospective show featuring artists from more than fifty countries and the must-see Infinite Deep exhibition by David Lynch! The retrospective exhibition of the festival presents all the themes displayed from 2018 to 2022: Love, Anarchy, Trust, Fearless and Believe

The exhibition will take place in Helsinki’s iconic Länsiterminaali T1 (West Terminal T1), where the vibes are certainly in concord with the atmospheric Infinite Deep. Designed by Gunnar Taucher, the building was completed as a port warehouse in 1941. In 1992, it was decided to convert the building into a passenger terminal serving Tallinn’s shipping traffic and it was opened on May Day 1995. Currently, the building is planned to be demolished by end of 2023 and be replaced by a new, taller terminal building by 2026. Meanwhile, the Helsinki Photo Festival converted it for several months into a cultural hub – a democratic space for celebrating photography and visual culture.

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