Ella Kiviniemi and Elias Tuomenranta: Men with No Mountains

The exhibition entity Men with No Mountains explores the influence of legends on the identity of the individual and the community. The work created by Elias Tuomenranta and Ella Kiviniemi over six years in Yli- and Alahärmä brings out how the legacy of the Härmä knife fighters is visible in people's everyday lives and continues to influence the culture of the region.

The so-called "häjyt" or knife fighters were unruly groups of men who also terrorized the Härmä region with knives from the early 19th century to the end of the century. The famous Antti of Isotalo and Rannanjärvi were from Härmä. The development of the knife fighting culture is believed to have been due, for example, to the rapid population growth in the area and the experience of landless farm boys feeling left out.

The violent acts of the knife fighters were recorded in wild songs and stories, and they immediately became part of the Finnish cultural heritage. The history of Härmä as a violent and harsh, but at the same time intriguing place in its stubbornness, has left a lasting mark on the identity of the region. The local traditional landscape, the flat plain, has provided a stage for the stories and endless space for human imagination.

The title of the exhibition reflects the idea that on the vast plains, the cultural identity of Härmä has grown to the size of a mountain. The great stories have become a strong self-esteem and pride in one's hometown. They give the courage to try and even attempt crazy things.

"On the plains, you can see far and be easily seen yourself: it is a stage on which the people of Härmä present themselves. Everything is visible: the fields, yards, houses and people, especially the foreign photographers. The emptiness around asks: who are you and what do you bring to this image?" the authors write in the published photo book Men with No Mountains (Khaos Publishing 2025).

The photography project weaves landscapes, people and situations into photographs taken with a medium-format film camera. It gives a voice to an area that refuses to be forgotten or abandoned. Men with No Mountains makes visible how people are constantly creating new meanings between the past and the present.

The artists are Ella Kiviniemi (b. 1991), a photographer from Helsinki, and Elias Tuomenranta (b. 1990), a photographer and university lecturer in photojournalism from Tampere. Both have family roots in Härmä. The work, book publication and exhibition have been supported by the South Ostrobothnia Fund of the Finnish Cultural Foundation, the Finnish Cultural Foundation, the Patricia Seppälä Foundation, the Journalism Promotion Foundation, and Finnfoto ry. The photo book made of the overall work is on sale at Galleria Ratamo.