Onni Aaltonen's photography exhibition tells the story of a trip to North Korea at the turn of 2016–2017. It was only possible to travel to the closed dictatorship by taking part in a organized tour, the program of which was planned by North Korean tour operators. Our group was transported from one official destination to another in a Chinese-made minibus in the capital Pyongyang, but also more widely around North Korea.

Photographs document the life of a closed country and local people through the window of a minibus. Our group saw and witnessed what the North Koreans wanted to show us. The ways of seeing were also often pre-framed. The exhibition focuses on the question of how to perceive a pre-framed reality.

The exhibition opening on Tuesday January 28 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. is also an occasion to celebrate the new book In Transit - Travelling in North Korea (2024) by Onni Aaltonen and Iisa Aaltonen. The book is a travelogue with photographs and it expands on the themes of the exhibition. The book considers the ethical questions that are raised when travelling in a closed dictatorship known for its human rights violations.

Onni Aaltonen (b. 1991) is a Helsinki-based photographer who graduated from the Lahti Institute of Design in 2021.

Iisa Aaltonen (b. 1988) is a Helsinki-based historian, writer and freelance producer.‍

‍