The work draws on the deep cultural, emotional and historical significance of the Baltic Sea — a landscape that shapes identity, belonging and community across generations.

The portraits and stories feature people whose lives are tied to the sea: fishermen, islanders, and families who have grown up along the shoreline. They stand at the water’s edge, carrying the marks of their own histories. In these images, the sea is not a backdrop but an equal presence. Through a double-exposure technique, I merge human portraits with seascapes, allowing the contours of the ocean and the features of each person to fold into one another. The result is a visual allegory of the Baltic Sea and the fragile, enduring idea of Balticness — its vulnerability, its resilience and its timelessness.

The sea-conservation–driven project was created in collaboration with the John Nurminen Foundation.