2024

Pyytää (“to catch”) in Finnish means to ask or request help. Fish is also asked for (pyydetään), a hunter and fisherman is someone who asks (pyytäjä) for fish and game. When you go fishing, you go pyyntiin, to ask for catch. The name of the prey is not mentioned.

Antti J. Leinonen, who lives and works in Ii, spent nine years photographing fishermen in the Bothnian Bay for his documentary work Pyynti. The subtle framing of the images reveals valuable insight into the mutually sensitive, change-prone story of man and nature.

A skilfully executed cover seals the catch — the stains left on the ice, the icy opening made by the dip. The haptic cover in primary colours — blue, red and white — contrasts with the opalescent colour scheme of the inner pages.

Leinonen’s images do not fade on the page; rather, they emerge with astonishing subtlety. The print quality preserves the finesse of the images, and the entire work exudes professionalism. The layout, meandering yet sturdy, carefully balances the use — or deliberate absence — of white space, in a rhythm that feels just right.