In the Time of Aihki

“In the Time of Aihki (The Old-Growth Pine)” exhibition was born from Anna Pakkanen’s personal experience during a skiing trip in Urho Kekkonen National Park, where she discovered an impressive forest full of old pines. The experience made her reflect on the long lifespan of trees and the shortness of human life. The exhibition offers visitors an opportunity to stop and contemplate the relationship between nature and time.

“Pakkanen wanted to highlight the stories of the trees and their significance for biodiversity. The exhibition combines information gathered from old forest experts as well as her own thoughts and experiences, which have been transformed into visual works.

Inspired by the old pines of Urho Kekkonen National Park and their long lifespans, Pakkanen developed an exhibition that tells the stories of these old-growth pines. “In the Time of Aihki” exhibition mainly features paintings, but also small wooden sculptures.

– I began to think about those pines and how insignificantly short human life is compared to the life of trees. The life of an old-growth pine pine, from seed to becoming a fully decomposed tree trunk, can last 800 years. A tree now decomposing began to sprout around year 1200″, Anna Pakkanen describes her thoughts and observations during the skiing trip.

Anna Pakkanen holds a Master of Arts degree, is a graphic designer, and an illustrator who works for Metsähallitus, Parks & Wildlife Finland. The nature storybook “Kuura and Pyry, which was published in autumn 2024, depicts the arrival of winter in a northern forest, and it was illustrated by Anna Pakkanen.

The “In the Time of Aihki” exhibition is organized by Northern Lapland Nature Center, Siida.