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
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
New art emerges in the urban landscape
Read more >: New art emerges in the urban landscape
Artist Isaac Cordal Image by: Ian Cox During the last week of May, Oulu will experience a true public art super week as dozens of works for the ARToulu Art Area are constructed across the city. Residents can follow the creation process on-site and meet artists at work.
Spanish artist Isaac Cordal attaches thirty miniature sculptures to buildings throughout the art area’s neighborhoods. The figures depict a wide range of people and characters inhabiting the city. Riikka Keränen is assembling a sculpture made of clay, straw, and horse manure in Meri-Toppila Park. Its round and curved forms evoke plants, fungi, stones, and animal architecture. At the tip of Pikisaari, Antti Tolvi builds a sound installation from organ pipes that changes with the wind. Swedish artist Carl Fredrik Emrik can be found in Toppilansalmi Park, bricklaying a guardian figure called “Silent Protector of Greenery”.
Kimmo Ylönen can be seen wading in Plaanaoja, placing small water mills that wave green flags of environmental awareness. The mills have been built not only by the artist but also by participants of local water mill workshops. Ylönen will be present in Vaaranpuisto on Tuesday, May 26, from 5–6 PM. During the week, visitors can also follow the rise of Sini Talonen’s large environmental artwork in Mustasalmi Park.
German artist Dominik Fleischmann’s “Garden of Images” grows for the delight of residents and insects near Hamina-Ville playground in Toppilansalmi.
The week concludes with the opening of the sound work “Kollʼješkuätt” on the nature trail of Toppilansaari. Kollʼješkuätt is Skolt Sámi and means to begin to be heard. The piece forms a sound path where the living environment’s own sounds are part of the experience. The work can be experienced daily from May 29 to June 6, 11 AM–6 PM.Works of the ARToulu Art Area can already be spotted around the city. Chili Seitz’s unconventional flags flutter in Tuira, Toppila, Myllytulli, and the city center. The flags depict the open sky—something impossible for humans to control or own. Can you find Maarit Bau Mustonen’s “Seven Scores”? More is still to come, as the art area will be completed on June 10. Throughout the summer, free and open cycling and walking tours will be organized, offering deeper insight into the artworks and their backgrounds.
The Opening of the Art Area Crowns Years of Work
Produced by the Oulu Artists’ Association, the ARToulu Art Area stems from local artists’ desire to bring art closer to people—into streets, parks, and everyday routes. The project demonstrates how diverse public art can be. It is not only about grand monuments but also small, fleeting, and surprising encounters. The works respect their surroundings; they do not dominate the landscape but live in its rhythm.
Thirteen artists are creating 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, and Erja Taskinen.
The performance program features works by Eero Tahkola, Riiko Sakkinen, Gabriella Presnal, Timo Viialainen, Juha Valkeapää, Kornelia Mangi, Karoliina Loimaala, Maarit Bau Mustonen, and Nestori Syrjälä.
The ARToulu Art Area is part of the Oulu2026 cultural program and the cultural climate change in Oulu.
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
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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.