Heinonen showcases Roma culture in ROM exhibition at Kuopio Museum in Finland

Jonne Heinonen, a photographer who has captured the lives of the Roma community in Finland since 2016, is showcasing his work in the ROM exhibition at the Kuopio Museum. Samuel Florin, one of the Roma featured in Heinonen’s photographs, describes the photographer as someone who approaches people with genuine humanity. The exhibition highlights the culture and daily lives of Finland’s Roma from the perspective of an artist from outside the community, with “ROM,” meaning “person” in the Romani language, as its title.

Previously displayed in Stockholm and at the Finnish Museum of Photographic Art in Helsinki, the Kuopio exhibit expands the collection to include twenty new photographs and a new video piece. This video features Roma individuals sharing their social realities in Finland, supported by funding from the Finnish Cultural Foundation. It includes a phone conversation between Heinonen and Florin, music by Mertsi Lindgren, and an audio track about a horse-buying trip narrated by Saska Borg, sourced from the archives of the Finnish Literature Society from 1969.

Heinonen spent eight years traveling across Finland, gaining trust and respect from the Roma he photographed. Their willingness to connect allowed them to refer him to others, creating a network of support. Florin noted that he first met Heinonen in 2017 in Jyväskylä and was struck by his openness and humility, emphasizing that the Roma often have historical sensitivities concerning the motivations of outsiders.

The exhibition in Kuopio marks the culmination of Heinonen’s eight-year project. He aspires for future documentation to originate from the Roma community themselves, which is already beginning to happen thanks to the prevalence of smartphones. The ROM exhibition will be on display at the Kuopio Museum from November 1, 2024, to January 26, 2025.