Atte Tolonen :
Men of Dreams

Atte Tolonen’s Men of Dreams series is a personal study of masculinity, where there is room for dreaming, feelings, memories and growth. The images seek a touchpoint for the sensitivity that lies within freedom. The images convey playfulness and a sensual need for self-realization. Men of Dreams reaches into the past and the future, yet is rooted in the present. In images, the man himself is the dreamer and the object of dreams.   

The series of images that has taken shape over the years asks what unforced masculinity looks like. Using a documentary approach, images discuss the feelings and models related to growing up as a man. Men of Dreams challenges us to consider what the hegemonic masculinity of the future is shaping up to be.  

Atte Tolonen is a photographic artist living and working in Helsinki. In his long-term projects, he has dealt with rock ’n’ roll, masculinity, religion and Lapland. As a significant recognition, the Jouko Lehtola Foundation selected him as a finalist for the Young Hero grant 2025.  

By education, Tolonen is a bachelor of culture and arts and a master of theology. He has also been a priest in the Malmi parish. Tolonen has participated in and held exhibitions since 2017.