She Cannot Wear Red

I have photographed my grandmother in the months following my grandfather’s death.

In She Cannot Wear Red, Jari Silomäki reflects on his grandmother’s life in the wake of his grandfather’s death. The work cannot be seen merely as a portrayal of mourning; rather, it reveals a paradox of absence. Once the grandfather is no longer physically present, his presence deepens—his figure becomes more vivid, his influence more pervasive, until he seems to fill the entire space.


There’s it’s now stalking, and a wagtail

of all things. The poor thing’s just came

back to Finland; it should stalk those that
don’t migrate.