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.