The international open call for ARToulu art area is now open. The open call is for professional visual artists from all over the world. The emphasis is on finding artworks that could be situated in urban neighborhoods. We hope to find artworks that surprise and delight viewers in public spaces. The underlying theme for the artwork is “art in surprising places”. One of the goals of ARToulu is to challenge traditional concepts of public art – to challenge the kinds of art we are used to seeing and experiencing in public spaces.

The art area will reflect the multiplicity of the visual arts. The artwork can be large and obvious or small and hidden, large and hidden or small and obvious. The artwork can be permanent, temporary or ephemeral.
The selection process will focus on the originality of the artwork and on the creativity of how the artwork is integrated into its environment, including elements of surprise.

The European Capital of Culture 2026 opens a new art area in Oulu, ARToulu, where art will pop up and surprise you in unexpected places. Dozens of artworks installed in the area will change the face of the Oulujoki estuary’s seven city neighborhoods, turning them into interesting and distinctive art areas.

The open call runs until the 29th of November 2024 at 4 pm. local time in Finland.(UTC/GMT +3)

More details on the open call and how to apply: https://artoulu.fi/artarea/open-call/