ARToulu art area opens in summer 2026!
The ARToulu art area opens in the European Capital of Culture year 2026 and invites you to experience the joy of discovery when searching for art or encountering it by chance. The works in the art area pause and highlight the layered nature of the common urban space. The works can be found in the Oulu city center, Pikisaari, Hietasaari, Toppilansaari, Toppilansalmi, Meri-Toppila and Tuira districts.
There will be dozens of new public artworks by thirteen artists seleceted through two open calls. The artworks and installations will be situated throughout the art area neighborhoods to form a route inside the city. Ten artists were also selected to produce a series of performances that will take place in public spaces.
The permanent artworks will open for public in the beginning of June 2026. The schedule for the performances will be published on the ARToulu-website in early 2026.
The link atla.fi/en/oulu2026/kartta/kokoelma/artoulu-taidealue opens the Atla map in a new browser window. If you give permission to use your location data, you will see your location in relation to the artworks.
Artworks
Previous artworks
Performances and time-and-site-specific artworks
Previous Performances and time-and-site-specific artworks
News
Events, guided tours etc.
Events and guided tours in art area!
ARToulu art area hosts numerous events, performances, guided tours and site-specific artworks during 2026.
ARToulu art area hosts numerous events, performances,
guided tours and site-specific artworks during 2026.
ARToulu art area
A new art route has emerged in the Oulujoki estuary
Read more >: A new art route has emerged in the Oulujoki estuary
Antti Tolvi’s The difference between a human and a bird, photo: Kati Leinonen As summer begins, a new art route has appeared in Oulu’s urban landscape, inviting passersby to experience art as part of everyday surroundings. The new public artworks of the ARToulu Art Area spread across the natural and built environments of the Oulujoki estuary — surprising along familiar paths and encouraging a fresh perspective.
By the Korkeasaari Bridge in Pikisaari, white organ pipes rise from the riverbank. Antti Tolvi’s visual sound installation responds to the wind, its hum strengthening and fading with nature’s rhythm. On a walk through the city, small human figures catch the eye on building façades — Isaac Cordal’s sculptures quietly observe urban life. Near Tuira beach, Kaija Hinkula’s playful and colorful streetlight greets passersby like an old friend.
ARToulu demonstrates the diversity of public art. Instead of grand monuments, it offers small, fleeting, and insightful encounters that live in harmony with their surroundings.
Thirteen artists have created site-specific works across the city: Julijonas Urbonas, Anna Tahkola, Antti Tolvi, Kaija Hinkula, Isaac Cordal, Kimmo Ylönen, Sini Talonen, Carl Fredrik Emrik, Chili Seitz, Riikka Keränen, Pia Hentunen, Dominik Fleischmann, and the artist group Tuuli Malla, Tero Harju, Aimo Aikio, and Erja Taskinen.
Six of the permanent artworks will be donated to the Oulu City’s Collection.
Summer programme: tours, workshops, and performances
Throughout the summer months, ARToulu Art Area offers weekly guided walking and cycling tours led by community art coordinator Hanna-Leena Ruottinen. The tours are free and open to everyone, with some suitable for children accompanied by a parent.
Pop-up art workshops for all ages will be held at Hamina-Ville playground in Toppilansalmi every Tuesday starting June 30. The workshops explore techniques such as plant printing, watercolor painting, and building insect hotels.
A series of performances will also take place across the art area throughout the summer, featuring Eero Tahkola, Gabriella Presnal, Timo Viialainen, Juha Valkeapää, and Kornelia Mangi.
Event schedules can be found in the Oulu2026 event calendar, the ARToulu Art Area event calendar on the project’s website, and the MunOulu city media calendar.
About the project
The ARToulu Art Area is a public art project produced by Oulun Taiteilijaseura -63 ry and is part of the official programme of Oulu European Capital of Culture 2026.
The project is funded by Oulun kulttuurisäätiö, the Ministry of Education and Culture, and Oulun Taiteilijaseura -63 ry.
What art area?
A popular walking and cycling route runs along the Oulujoki River from the city center to the seaside at Nallikari and back along the other side of the river. The ARToulu art area spreads across five districts along the river estuary. The area covers the city center, Pikisaari, Hietasaari, Toppila, and Tuira neighborhoods.
Art comes to residential areas and nature—among people, as part of living urban culture. Art pops up and surprises in places where you don’t expect to encounter it. The ordinary everyday environment becomes interesting and special when art is allowed to flourish in urban spaces. Dozens of artworks placed in the environment transform the districts along the Oulujoki river delta into a unique art area.
The works in the art area vary in duration. Some of the works will remain in place for several years, delighting residents and visitors long after the Capital of Culture year. Some of the works are designed to be shorter in duration, lasting until the summer of 2026. The art area will be accessible at all times of the day and year from June 10, 2026.
The works have been selected through national and international open calls, curated by Satu Oksanen, Anna Ruth, and Leevi Lehtinen. The selection process emphasized original and surprising solutions in which art becomes part of the environment. The art area reflects the diversity of visual art and breaks down conventional notions of art in public spaces.
The ARToulu art area is part of the European Capital of Culture 2026 programme. The Oulu Artists Association’s Exploring ART project is financed by the Oulu Cultural Foundation, the Ministry of Education and Culture as well as the Oulu Artists Association.
Contact us: artoulu2026@gmail.com
Follow ARToulu art area on social media:
Artists
Artists of the performance program
Oulu is the European Capital of Culture for the year 2026. Oulu and the entire northern Finland will be filled with culture, art, and events in the coming years. Northern Finland will rise to the world map in an unprecedented way as Finnish and international cultural experts create something new in cities, countryside, and nature. It is a journey spanning several years, culminating in the year 2026. ARToulu art area is part of the Oulu2026 cultural programme and cultural climate change.