Adolfo Vera's exhibition If not I, then who? is a cross-section of the artist's work from 1977-2023, exploring the structures of power that define humanity, the notions of active and anonymous citizenship, and the consequences of the colonial movement.
Vera also addresses the critique of power to himself as a person and as a photographer, reflecting on his own actions and movement in the world. Through this process of reflection, Vera has reworked his old images, placing them in new relationships with each other and his environment. As Vera’s perspective switches between the individual and the society, people and humankind, self and the other, he asks the audience as well as himself the same question, over and over again: If I do this, how does it affect the world — and if I decide not to do something, then who will?
Adolfo Vera (b. 1955) is a Chilean-born Finnish photographer who lives and works in Vantaa, Finland.
Embassy of the Republic of Chile
