“Avanto is a portrayal of the collision of a human body and ice cold water. Avanto series is an attempt to capture the vulnerable moment when our natural instincts and fleshly body is challenged with freezing cold water. It's an examination in which the steady line between the safe space outside the dark and unknown water is exposed and captured. In the photographs emphasis is on the first seconds of the body immersing into the freezing water. The photos show how shocked and petrified the body is just like a newborn being exposed to air from mother's womb. The series exposes the most authentic and bare reactions. For one the line between the water and the air is physical for the other it's mental. The battle between the act of absurdity and the rewarding physical reaction is crossing the boundaries of the body and mind. The violent reaction transitions into a soothing experience in which serenity and endorphins overcome the initial shock. In the photos the viewer can examine the beauty of the light reflecting through the thick ice. The stripped, stagnant body is hovering in the darkness of the water and left to be seen and studied by the audience. This act of exposure is making a private, almost sacred rite, a common and shared experience.”

- Laura Köönikkä, Finnish Art Agency