Comic Artist's Original Works Lost in Finnish Mail En Route to Exhibition

Original artworks by Finnish comic artist Taneli Kemppi have gone missing in the mail, causing distress as they were intended for an exhibition in Oulu. Kemppi had dispatched 20 original, hand-drawn pages from his debut work, 'Kerrosten välistä,' which was a nominee for the Sarjakuva-Finlandia award.

The first shipment, sent via Posti (the Finnish postal service) on July 17th, failed to arrive within the promised 4-5 business days. After approximately ten business days, Kemppi contacted Posti's customer service. As it was a standard letter without tracking, its location could not be determined, leaving the artworks lost.

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The thought that I might never see my works again is painful. This represents many years of work and my first comic book.

Due to the exhibition's tight schedule, Kemppi sent a second batch of 20 original pages to Oulu. This time, he opted for Matkahuolto, a different transport service, which included a tracking number. However, this shipment also encountered problems. Matkahuolto's system initially indicated the package had been delivered and then arrived, when in reality it remained at the terminal. The package was eventually located and delivered to the exhibition.

In total, 40 pages from Kemppi's 160-page first comic book were in transit. "The thought that I might never see my works again is painful. This represents many years of work and my first comic book," Kemppi stated. For the exhibition opening, printouts had to be displayed in place of the original artworks. Posti's production director, Mikko Hoikkala, declined to comment on specific customer cases but asserted that Posti's service is reliable. He suggested that ensuring correct address details is crucial for smooth delivery. Hoikkala noted that Posti is legally obligated to withhold mail if the recipient's name does not match the address, potentially leading to address clarification processes. He added that long delays are rare, with 94.6% of domestic letters delivered within four business days last year, exceeding the legal minimum of 50%. Hoikkala speculated that one of Kemppi's delayed shipments might have been due to incomplete or incorrect address information, and that an investigation is ongoing. Kemppi, however, indicated that the issue with the Oulu shipment was not related to address details.

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In principle, one should ensure that the shipment has the correct address details. When they are in order, the shipment will go smoothly to the recipient.