War is a Disaster,

Henri Airo, 2024

Open spine softcover with hand printed dustcover
190mm x 265mm
224 pages
English and Finnish
Published by UTU Press
Concept, photography and research by Henri Airo
Graphic design by Camilla Marrese
Book design by Henri Airo, Camilla Marrese and Toivo Heinimäki
Project Assistance by Veeti Valkama
Printed by KOPA, Lithuania
Edition of 300
ISBN 978-952-65274-2-0

Text contributions by Ahmed Al-Nawas, Susanna Hast, Noora Kotilainen, Saara Särmä & Leena Vastapuu


To order a copy, drop an email: henri.airo@gmail.com

39€ inc. shipping within EU

The Anatomy of the War Hero: A Guidebook

 
Henri Airo & Iivari Mikkonen, 2024

Softcover booklet
148mm x 210mm
24 pages
Finnish and English
Concept, research and design by Henri Airo and Iivari Mikkonen
Printed in Helsinki
Edition of 50
ISBN 978-952-94-9278-7

Self-published as part of the exhibition If Such a Scene is Presented Even Prior to the Opening Titles, it Grows in Significance, Hippolyte Korjaamo 14.6. - 11.8.2024.


In the background research for their exhibition at Hippolyte Korjaamo, Airo and Mikkonen read through works of literature which represent the historical figures of Finnish war heroes, whose heroic status is asserted through their actions in the Winter- and Continuation Wars. The research material was made up of a disparate selection of catalogues, comic books and historical novels adhering to varied degrees of historical accuracy. Through text and image, each of these publications uphold and contribute to the fictional image of the male Finnish war hero.

Analysing the language, characters and rhetorical devices of these works, the publication traces out a set of five rules that literature on war and heroism rely on to build a relatable yet distant ideal hero.