After / Jälkeen

Evelin Kask’s photography

After / Jälkeen

Each day more than two Finns commit suicide. Every year thousands of people are affected by the death of a loved one.
Yet suicide is a taboo subject.

The photography project After / Jälkeen presents family members of those who have committed suicide. Suicide is one of the most difficult types of death to cope with, as it is a traumatic experience that entails anguish and guilt in addition to grief. Family members and friends are troubled by the question of whether they could have done something differently. The pain is overwhelming, but it will also fade over time. Family members find a reason to go on living.

After / Jälkeen is linked to the documentary film Once I Dreamt of Life directed by Jukka Kärkkäinen and Sini Liimatainen.

“Life must go on even if I’ll have to live it without my sister. I don’t think you can ever get over it, but you’ll adapt… You’ll adapt, that’s the word. You know, there’s the life before Laura’s suicide, and then there’s the life after Laura’s suicide. It’s a different life, that’s all. I’ll have to discover myself again because having a sister has always been part of my identity.” – Eeva

Evelin Kask (b. 1989) is a Helsinki based photographer. Besides working in Finland she has worked abroad for social and political issues concerning human rights. Phenomena of death as a personal experience has also been one of her main interests in photography. Kask has documented family members of those who have committed suicide since June 2013.

After / Jälkeen exhibition
Postihalli, Central Railway Station, Helsinki. 17–28 April 2014.
Mediatunneli Finlayson, Tampere. 5–19 March 2014.