Apollo
Exhibited at the Hippolyte Studio 2025
A summer day when me and my dad went to look for the Apollo butterfly.
The origin of the work is a childhood memory of a family trip to the Åland islands, where my dad believed he had spotted an Apollo butterfly but was unable to photograph it or otherwise confirm the sighting. Over a decade later, the memory resurfaced, and I asked my dad on a new journey to search for the endangered butterfly—before it would be too late.
All the photographs were taken on 31 July 2022 during a butterfly excursion in Lohja, in a rocky area near an old landfill where Apollo butterflies have been observed. After a long search and against all expectations, the butterfly was found—but joy was accompanied by an unexpected sense of disappointment. The idea of a broader journey, covering the entire distribution area of the butterfly and ultimately leading back to Åland Islands, where the memory originated, faded with the discovery.
Apollo explores the nature of memory, the significance of shared experiences, and the agency of photography. It examines photography’s function as evidence of an encounter with the butterfly, as well as its various uses in both art and natural sciences.
The origin of the work is a childhood memory of a family trip to the Åland islands, where my dad believed he had spotted an Apollo butterfly but was unable to photograph it or otherwise confirm the sighting. Over a decade later, the memory resurfaced, and I asked my dad on a new journey to search for the endangered butterfly—before it would be too late.
All the photographs were taken on 31 July 2022 during a butterfly excursion in Lohja, in a rocky area near an old landfill where Apollo butterflies have been observed. After a long search and against all expectations, the butterfly was found—but joy was accompanied by an unexpected sense of disappointment. The idea of a broader journey, covering the entire distribution area of the butterfly and ultimately leading back to Åland Islands, where the memory originated, faded with the discovery.
Apollo explores the nature of memory, the significance of shared experiences, and the agency of photography. It examines photography’s function as evidence of an encounter with the butterfly, as well as its various uses in both art and natural sciences.
Joel Hilska-Heikkinen