THE FINNISH LIONS – Sonja Salomäki
The Finnish lions have never adapted well to welfare Finland, its rules, and its realities.
Winter can be tough and fatal for these fascinating creatures, but during summer, they return to their natural environment—public spaces and parks in the city. At this time, society’s well-adjusted “normal” people can freely observe and marvel at their performances and dramas.
The Finnish lions also take on the role of the fool or the village idiot, making their observers feel better and more “normal.”
I have photographed and observed the Finnish lions primarily in Helsinki. An image from a few years ago in the summer at the Ekenäs marina is also etched in my memory, where an enormous number of drunk men literally lay about, with “Suomi” written across their chests. I am not interested in moralizing; I only want to highlight an intriguing phenomenon. I aim to present my subject with a respectful, realistically poetic approach.
I hope to succeed in creating a new perspective on this familiar subject and to combine the theme with the textile art techniques I have developed.
After long observation, I have noticed that Finnish lions often dress casually, in sporty clothing. Their outfits may also feature camouflage patterns, tribal designs, and patriotic elements that seem to reflect more anti-immigrant sentiment than respect for the Winter War veterans. Clothes are closely tied to their wearers, often serving as a second skin—a warm, protective layer between the self and the world. Some of the works in the exhibition are collections of Finnish lions’ clothing, which I have additionally painted.
Between the Finnish lions and the world flows alcohol. Drinking and public drunkenness are treated fairly permissively in Finland, especially when it concerns men. However, an alcoholic woman lying in public spaces is not seen as fun, but rather contemptible, frightening, pitiful, and in some ways, taboo.
In their homeland, Finnish lions are not embarrassing; they at most cause amusement, mild irritation, or sympathy. In Finland, alcoholism is viewed through a lens of decadent romanticism, and it is justified because life in the North is tough. The climate is harsh. Expressing emotion and joy without alcohol is seen as pretentious.
Heavy drinking is an essential part of Finnish culture and social life. Finnish lions are merely one peculiar and visible extreme of a broader phenomenon.
Translated with ChatGPT