Ester the Invisible

About the exhibition

Maria Ylikoski’s artistic oeuvre draws upon the legacy of her aunt, Ester Markkola, who worked for over 30 years as President Urho Kekkonen’s housemaid. Ester’s responsibilities included managing the presidential couple’s wardrobe, overseeing their private quarters, and serving evening tea. She was one of those women whose role was to remain invisible—labouring behind the scenes. Ylikoski endeavours to craft a portrait that renders visible the fascinating life of her aunt. Assuming the role of archivist or curator, the artist assembles narratives from archival materials and objects once belonging to her aunt. The exhibition at Photographic Gallery Hippolyte features items such as scarves, detachable collars, curtains, and archival film, through which Ylikoski reconstructs a fragmented portrait employing photography, video, and installation art.

In creating these works, Ylikoski contemplates themes related to performance, the interplay between what occurs in front of and behind the stage curtain—the spaces Ester inhabited by dressing the head of state. Although Ester remained firmly behind the curtain, the results of her meticulous work—carefully selected scarves, perfectly matched ties, and well-fitted suits—were ever-present whenever different worlds collided, from state visits, negotiations, dinners, and skiing trips alike.

Ester fascinates Ylikoski, particularly because she refused to be photographed and rarely spoke about her life to anyone. Ester is an invisible figure in history—a mystery. To Ylikoski, she resembles an undeveloped negative. After combing through thousands of photographs and hundreds of film documents across various archives, Ylikoski unearthed two video clips of her aunt, which are featured in the exhibition piece Näkymätön (Invisible).

Huiveja (Scarves) is a video work that centres on Ester’s preserved scarves—objects she either salvaged, received as gifts, or acquired herself. In this piece, Ester recounts her memories of these scarves in an audio recording Ylikoski created while exploring the collection. Photographs were not allowed. The soundscape moves through the rooms of Tamminiemi, the former presidential residence. Meanwhile, events from the outside world filter in: Nikita Khrushchev addressing the UN, John F. Kennedy welcoming President Kekkonen to America, and Kekkonen articulating Finland’s policy of neutrality. The piece draws inspiration from a 1956 photograph by U.A. Saarinen, depicting a woman shaking out laundry on the Tamminiemi balcony. Ester’s tenure with the Kekkonens spanned from 1952 to 1986.

Maria Ylikoski (b. 1966, Ikaalinen) studied photography at the Turku School of Art and Communication and the Högskolan för Fotografi och Film in Gothenburg. In 2011, she earned her Master’s degree in Fine Arts from the Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki. Ylikoski has previously worked on several video portraits, and her artistic practice frequently examines themes related to memory, storytelling, and family. While her projects often originate from photographic inquiries, her final works encompass moving images and installations. Ester the Invisible began in 2020 with funding from the Kone Foundation and remains an ongoing endeavour. Ylikoski’s work has been featured in exhibitions and festivals in Finland and internationally since 1995.

The exhibition and the artist’s work have been supported by the Finnish Cultural Foundation, the Arts Promotion Centre Finland (Taike), and Visek. Special thanks are extended to the Finnish National Museum / Tamminiemi and the Archives of President Urho Kekkonen.