Born in Iisalmi, Finland in 1966. Lives and works in Helsinki.

Education
2006– Studies for Doctoral thesis, Department of Media, Aalto University ­
School of Arts, Design and Architecture, Helsinki, Finland
2005 Master of Arts, Degree in Photography, School of Visual Culture, University of Art and Design Helsinki, Finland
1996 Photographer / Bachelor’s degree, Lahti Institute of Design, Finland
1988–1992 Studies at the University of Tampere, Finland (major: journalism and mass media research)

Selected solo exhibitions
2013 Forum Box, Helsinki
2011 Art Museum of Kemi, Finland
2010 Photographic Gallery Hippolyte, Helsinki; Hofburg Imperial Palace, Innsbruck, Austria
2008 Marc Berville Prospects / MB Fotografie, Berlin
2008 Whitenesses – The LIPA exhibition (Lumiere International Photography Award), Gallery Lumiere, Seoul
2007 Whitenesses, Helsinki City Art Museum – Gallery Kluuvi
2004 Erased / Histories, Rantagalleria, Northern Photographic Centre. Oulu, Finland
2004 Erased / Histories, Photography Gallery Hippolyte, Helsinki
2004 Erased / Histories, Gallery Studio Mezzo, Helsinki

Selected group exhibitions
2013 Art Fair Suomi 13, Kaapelitehdas, Helsinki
2012 Present Remains, Gallery Nykyaika, Tampere
2012 Paris Photo (Gallery TaiK) (November)
2011 KIAF, Soul (Gallery TaiK)
2011 Art Fair Suomi 11, Kaapelitehdas, Helsinki
2010 Uitgelicht – Curated by Maarten Bertheux, Nieuw Dakota, Amsterdam, Netherlands
2010 Field Works, Gallery Augusta, Suomenlinna Helsinki
2010 Billnäs konstgalleri (Galerie Forsblom)
2009 Paris Photo (Gallery TaiK)
2009 Art Forum Berlin (Gallery TaiK)
2009 Art Fair Suomi 08, Cable Factory, Helsinki
2009 Arte Fiera, Bologna, Italy (Galerie Forsblom)
2009 Image and After, Kiasma – the museum of contemporary art, Helsinki
2008 Art Forum Berlin (Gallery TaiK)
2008 Art Fair Suomi 08, Cable Factory, Helsinki
2008 Riita – Dispute, The Finnish Labour Museum Werstas, Tampere
2008 ART MOSCOW (Galerie Forsblom)
2008 Art Chicago (Galerie Forsblom)
2008 artparis 08 (Galerie Forsblom)
2008 Arte Fiera, Bologna, Italy (Galerie Forsblom)
2008 palmbeach3 | contemporary art fair (Galerie Forsblom)
2007 Larger than Life – Works from the Collections, Ateneum Art Museum, Helsinki
2007 Interplays, Galerie Forsblom, Helsinki
2007 Paris Photo (Gallery TaiK)
2007 Art Fair Suomi / Hanki 07, Photographic art fair, Cable Factory, Helsinki
2007 Art Forum Berlin (Gallery TaiK)
2007 ART COLOGNE Palma de Mallorca (Galerie Forsblom)
2006 Paris Photo (Gallery TaiK)
2006 Art Forum Berlin (Gallery TaiK)
2006 Hanki 06, Photographic art fair, Cable Factory, Helsinki
2005 Backlight 05, 7th international triennale of photography, Tampere, Finland
2005 Art Fair Suomi / Hanki 05, Photographic art fair, Cable Factory, Helsinki
2005 LIBRIS / The Young Photographer of the Year 2005 – the Finalists, Gallery Uusitalo, Helsinki
2005 Die vierte Generation – The Helsinki School, PPS Gallery, Hamburg, Germany
2005 Masters of Arts, UIAH / Mediacenter Lume, Helsinki
2005 Finnish Versions – The Helsinki School. Centrum för fotografi, Stockholm, Sweden
2005 Sollentuna Art Fair, Sweden (Gallery TaiK)
2005 110th Exhibition of Finnish Artists, Taidehalli, Helsinki
2004 Valokuva 4 (Photography 4), Gallery Taidepanimo, Lahti, Finland
2004 Art Fair Suomi / Hanki 04, Photographic art fair, Cable Factory, Helsinki
2003 Valiokuvat, images for Valio by the master’s degree students of photography, Helsinki
2003 Hanki 03, Photographic art fair, Cable Factory, Helsinki
2001 Sirkka-Liisa Sass: Noidankehä, Kiasma – the museum of contemporary art, Helsinki

Curatorships
2012-2013 "The Allure of Light" Photographic Art 2013, Lahti Art Museum, 8.2–26.5.2013 (Together with Ulla Jokisalo
2011-2012 Helsinki Photography Biennial (together with Jari Harju, Marko Karo, Harri Pälviranta, Kari Soinio and Hanna Weselius)

Selected publications and articles
2014 Marjaana Kella: "Käännöksiä. Maisema, kasvot ja esittäminen valokuvassa." (Translations. Landscape, Face and Presentation in the Photograph) Musta Taide, Aalto Photo Books, Helsinki
2010 Mustekala.info 23.9.2010: "Keskustelu taidepuheesta jatkuu. Ari Kakkinen eit" (Continuing debate on art talk. Ari Kakkinen’s text eit) (http://www. mustekala.info/node/1801)
2010 Helsingin Sanomat 16.9.2010: "Höpöhöpön höpöhöpö – Ari Kakkisen vastine Kaisa Heinäselle" (Ari Kakkinen’s response to Kaisa Heinänen)
2010 Helsingin Sanomat 7.9.2010: "Taidepuhe on usein höpöhöpöä" (Art talk is often nonsense) by Kaisa Heinänen
2010 Helsingin Sanomat 25.8.2010: "Valokuva perustuu sattumaan" (Photography is based on happenstances by Timo Valjakka
2010 Niin&Näin 3/2010 (Artist of the Issue)
2010 StadtBlatt Innsbruck 2.6.2010: "Korea trifft auf Europa"
2010 InterNational 2.6.2010: "Sehnsucht nach der Leere"
2010 Tiroler Woche 27.5.2010: "Korea’s Kunst im Keller"
2010 Soul of Korea. Special Exhibition from Gallery Lumiere. 6th of May – 13th of June, Hofburg Innsbruck.
2008 Taide 6/08: Ari Kakkinen – Total Communion of Being by Eemil Karila
2008 Ari Kakkinen Whitenesses – 2nd Lumière International Photography Award LIPA
2008 Kuvan jälkeen – Image and After. Collections, Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, Helsinki. Catalogue, editor Eija Aarnio. A Museum of Contemporary Art Publication 109/2008.
2008 Iisalmen Sanomat 11.1.2008: "Ari Kakkisen valokuvia Kiasmassa" (Ari Kakkinen’s Photographs in Kiasma) by STT
2007 Helsingin Sanomat 5.12.2007: "Ateneumissa yhdistellään nykytaidetta ja historian ikoneja" (Ateneum combines contemporary art and historical works) by Kaisa Heinänen
2007 Helsingin Sanomat 18.11.2007: "Galerie Forsblom juhlii 30-vuotista taivaltaan." (Galerie Forsblom is celebrating its 30 years) by Timo Valjakka
2007 Kauppalehti 19.4.2007: "Suomalainen valokuva kansainvälistyi. The Helsinki Schoolin menestystarina päätyi hienoksi kirjaksi" (Finnish photography came international. The success story of the Helsinki School in a beautiful book) by Otso Kantokorpi
2007 Helsingin Sanomat 2.4.2007: "Valkoista valkoisella" (White on White) by Anu Uimonen
2007 The Helsinki School. New Photography by TaiK. University of Art and Design, Helsinki (TaiK), Text Andrea Holzherr, Timothy Persons. Hatje Cantz
2007 Heide Häusler: "Ari Kakkinen Unnameable Distances" Photography now 1.07 Journal für Fotografie und Videokunst, Januar–Februar–März 2007
2005 Pirkko Anttila: "Ilmaisu, teos, tekeminen ja tutkiva toiminta" (The Expression, the Work of Art, Doing Things and the Researching Act), Akatiimi Oy, Hamina
2005 Harri Laakso: "Photography Touching Itself" In the catalogue for the exhibition ”Backlight 05 – the International Photography Triennal”, Tampere
2005 Kerstin Stremmel: "Der Internationale Erfolg finnischer Fotografie" Photonews Nr. 6 Juni
2005 Karen Fromm: "Typisch finnisch? The Why behind the Finnish Flavour of Photography" In the catalogue for the exhibition of ”The Forth Generation – The Helsinki School”, Hamburg
2005 Arttu 2/2005: Masters of Arts 2005 näyttely / exhibition
2005 Helsingin Uutiset 23.1.2005: "Taidetta moneen makuun Taidehallissa" (Art for Different Tastes in Taidehalli) by Marketta Karjalainen
2005 Catalogue for the exhibition ”Taiteilijat 2005 – the annual exhibition of Artists Association of Finland”, Helsinki
2004 Etelä-Suomen Sanomat 24.9.2004: "Valokuva löytöretkellä silmän maisemissa" (Photography Exploring in the Scenes of the Eye) by Mika Suvioja
2004 Kaleva 12.9.2004: "Mitä valkoinen hohto kätkee" (What Does the White Shining Veil) by Timo Jokelainen
2004 Arkkitehti (Architect) 3/2004: leader by Harri Hautajärvi
2004 Helsingin Sanomat 1.5.2004: "Valkoinen peittää ja paljastaa" (Whiteness Veils and Reveals) by Anu Uimonen
2004 Suomen Kuvalehti 17/2004 23.4.2004: "Valkoista, valkoista" (Whiteness, Whiteness) by Elina Järvinen
2003 Etelä-Suomen Sanomat 19.11.2003: "Kakkisen valokuvat ovat "vain” katseltaviksi" (Kakkinen’s Photographs Are "Only” to be Looked at”) by Markus Luukkonen
2001 ptah – architecture, design, art 2001:1: "Arrested Past" by Esa Laaksonen
2001 Helsingin Sanomat 28.4.2001: "Sass on syntynyt kehotaiteilijaksi" (Sass Was Born as a Body Artist) by Pessi Rautio
2001 Helsingin Sanomat 25.1.2001: "Uhka kuvassa" (Treath in the Image) by Arja Maunuksela
2000 Ari Saarto (ed.): "Eidos. Kirjoituksia suomalaisen valokuvan 90-luvusta" (Eidos. Essays on the 1990s of the Finnish Photography). Lahden ammattikorkeakoulu Muotoiluinstituutti, Lahti

Awards
2008 The LIPA Award (Lumiere International Photography Award), South Korea
2007 William Thuring prize of the Fine Arts Society of Finland
2003 3rd prize in art competition of Academy of Finland
1996 Honour for the best graduation work in the school,
1996 Lahti Institute of Design, Finland
1996 Honour for the best graduation work in the Department of Photography, Lahti Institute of Design, Finland

Scholarships
2012 Scholarship for an exhibition, National Council for Photographic Art
2010 Five Years State Grant for Artist (2011-2015), National Council for Photographic Art
2010 Oscar Öflunds Stiftelse
2010 Public Display Grant to Visual Artist, Arts Council of Finland
2007 3-year grant, the Finnish Cultural Foundation
2007 Scholarship for an exhibition, National Council for Photographic Art
2006 Scholarship for an exhibition, Arts Council of Helsinki Metropolitan Region
2006 Scholarship for an exhibition, National Council for Photographic Art
2004 Scholarship for MA-graduation, the Union of Magazine Journalists in Finland
2003 Scholarship for an exhibition, Alfred Kordelin Foundation, Finland
2003 Scholarship for an exhibition,
2003 The Arts Council of Finland for Photographic Art
1996 Scholarship for graduation and exhibition, the Finnish Cultural Foundation, Foundation of Pohjois-Savo
1994 Scholarship for an exhibition, Finnfoto, Finland

Honorary Posts
2013- Member of National Council for Photographic Art 2013-
2007-2012 Vice-chairman of the Union of Artist Photographers
2006-2012 Member of the board of the Union of Artist Photographers
2007-2010 Chairman of the Art Fair group of the Union of Artist Photographers
2006-2007 Member of the exhibition group of the Union of Artist Photographers

Memberships
Union of Artist Photographers / Artists Association of Finland
Union of Journalists in Finland
Tutkijaliitto (”Union of Researchers in Finland”)

Works in collections
Academy of Finland
Ateneum Art Museum, Helsinki
Fine Arts Society of Finland
Gallery Lumière Seoul
Helsinki City Art Museum
Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art, Helsinki
Pentti Kouri Collections, New York
Rauli Heino Collections, Helsinki
State Art Collections, Finland
Valio, Helsinki
Private collections in Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, South Korea, Spain, Sweden and United Kingdom