“The modern photographer reinvents the world, opens our eyes to see amazing things whose beauty we would otherwise have missed. His significance as an interpreter of our time continues to grow...”
- Critic Raoul af Hällström about Aho & Soldan, in the magazine Tulenkantajat, (Torchbearers) 1930
AHO & SOLDAN
Pioneering photographers and filmmakers
Heikki Aho (1895-1961) and Björn Soldan (1902-1953) are viewed as pioneers of Finnish documentary film. Through their legendary film production company Aho & Soldan, founded in Helsinki in 1924 and active until 1961, the Finnish documentary film tradition was born. Aho & Soldan produced more than 400 documentary films, being the largest such producer in the 1930´s in Finland.
Heikki Aho and Björn Soldan focused on documentary photography as well as artistic photography and created thousands of pictures. They were members of the modernistic ABISS-group inspired by the "New Objectivity".
The group´s landmark exhibition at Salon Strindberg in May 1930 is regarded as a turning point in Finnish photography.
Heikki Aho´s daughter Claire Aho (b. 1925) started at Aho & Soldan in the late 1940´s and became a filmmaker as well as a pioneer in colour photography in her own right - and thus continued the pioneering work by Aho & Soldan.
Her solo exhibition "Age of Elegance" showing 140 fashion-, advertisement- and cover photographs between 1950-1967 was held at the Kunsthalle Helsinki in the summer of 2011. She participated in the exhibition "Builders of the Future" at the Finnish Design Museum in 2012. Her latest solo exhibition "Studio Works" was held at The Photographers´ Gallery in London 19 April - 21 July 2013. Her photographs have been shown in several exhibitions such as at the United Nations HQ´s in New York, at the UN´s Palais des Nations in Geneva, at the UN in Nairobi, at the Little Parliament Building, at the Parliament Building and at the Parliament´s Library in Helsinki 2017-2018. Furthermore at Photo London 2019, Paris Photo 2019, Photo LA 2020, Photo London Digital 2020 and Photo London 2023.
Exhibitions in 2015
'"SIBELIUS & IMAGES OF FINLAND" constituting 5 AHO & SOLDAN and CLAIRE AHO - exhibitions runs 15 January - 31 December 2015, also displaying the film "Jean Sibelius at Home", at the Helsinki Airport, Terminal 2, gates 37 a-e.
Another "SIBELIUS & IMAGES OF FINLAND" - exhibition constituting 6 AHO & SOLDAN and CLAIRE AHO - exhibitions and displaying several films, runs 23 April - November 8, 2015 on the entire 3rd floor of the Academic Bookstore, Pohjoisesplanadi 1/Keskuskatu 1, Helsinki.
"SIBELIUS AT HOME: IMAGES FROM THE AHO FAMILY FILMS" was displayed 5 February - 31 March 2015 at The Lincoln Center, New York.
"AUTOMOBILES & HELSINKI" at automobile and road museum MOBILIA, Kangasala, Finland from 12 June - 31 October 2015.
"Jean Sibelius at Home" at the Finnish Embassy in Beijing, China from June - October 2015.
The exhibition was officially opened by Mrs Jenni Haukio, wife of the President of the Republic of Finland, on June 3, 2015. Photo by Kenneth Luoto
ACADEMIC BOOKSTORE, HELSINKI
ACADEMIC BOOKSTORE, HELSINKI
SIBELIUS & IMAGES OF FINLAND - AT THE ACADEMIC BOOKSTORE
Five simultaneous photo exhibitions by Aho & Soldan and Claire Aho at the Helsinki Airport, terminal 2, gates 37 a-e. From 15 January until 31 December 2015.
ARCHIVAL EXHIBIT - JEAN SIBELIUS AT HOME: IMAGES FROM THE AHO FAMILY FILMS
Jean Sibelius at Home - photo exhibition, New York Philharmonic, Bruno Walter Gallery, Avery Fisher Hall´s Grand Promenade, Lincoln Center, New York 5 February - 31 March 2015
Automobiles & Helsinki at the National Museum of Finland 15 November 2013 - 16 March 2014
CENTRE POMPIDOU, PARIS
Finland Calling - exhibition at the Finnish National Gallery Ateneum 2011
HELSINKI CITY HALL
FINNISH DESIGN MUSEUM
MUSÉE d´ART MODERNE ET CONTEMPORAIN
FINNISH FILM ARCHIVE
FINNISH MUSEUM of PHOTOGRAPHY
WORLD´S FAIR 1939-1940
KUNSTHALLE HELSINKI
SALONG STRINDBERG
MINIATURE EXHIBITIONS
3 X AHO & SOLDAN - FLYER
SIBELIUS 150 YEARS 2015
JEAN SIBELIUS AT HOME
FILMS (Björn Soldan)
FILM CLIPS (Heikki Aho)
SPLINTERS - “An immensely moving study of Finnishness, a grand essay on time and memory, and a paean to the arts as pillars of a nation’s self” — Olaf Möller. (2011, 74 minutes)
DOC POINT FILM FESTIVAL
AHO & SOLDAN AWARD
PRESS AND MEDIA COVERAGE
POST CARDS
Photographer CLAIRE AHO
Author JUHANI AHO 1907
Artist Venny Soldan-Brofeldt in Paris late 19th century
JUBILEUM YEARS
RECOMMENDATION
A recently published sample film from AHO & SOLDAN´s production "In the Outokumpu
Copper Mine, 1933". The music and sound was added by Mr Ilkka Kippola and his team
from the National Audiovisual Archive (KAVA) for the screening at the Helsinki DocPoint
Film Festival 2010.
SUOSITUS
Äskettäin julkaistu esimerkkielokuva AHO & SOLDANin tuotannosta "Outokummun
kuparikaivoksessa 1933". Musiikki ja ääni lisättiin KAVA:n tutkijan Ilkka Kippolan ja hänen
ryhmänsä toimesta Helsingin DocPoint elokuvafestivaaliin 2010.
