Espoo’s cultural houses to participate in the Outsider Art Festival for the first time

The OAF is a partner festival of Helsinki Festival, which traditionally opens on the Night of the Arts. The festival presents a diverse and captivating mix of music, visual arts, performing arts, film, literature and life stories. The OAF empowers the space for outsider art and gives a voice to those outside the art scene and society. 

“We are pleased to partner in this celebration as it will contribute to our efforts to act fairly, equally and equitably in line with the Espoo story,” says Leena Hoppania, Manager of Cultural Services at Espoo’s Cultural Venues and Services. 

The festival programme will be spread over several locations in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. In Espoo, the festival events can be enjoyed at the Espoo Cultural Centre and WeeGee Exhibition Centre in Tapiola, Sello Hall in Leppävaara, Kannusali in Espoon keskus and Children’s Cultural Centre Aurora in Järvenperä. More detailed programme can be found on the OAF festival website(external link, opens in a new window).

“I recommend visiting, for example, Sello Hall to listen to the three hammond ensemble Salonen-Gustavson-Gröhn or Kannusali for Pertti’s Choice live show curated by Miika Turunen and Kalevi Helvetti,” Hoppania says. 

The Outsider Art Festival’s takeover of Espoo will kick off on 16 August at the Cultural Centre’s Amfi outdoor stage. The early Friday evening will feature free live performances by artists from Pertti’s Choice and festive vibes by the OAF masters of ceremonies. 

In Tapiola, it is also worth visiting the free Inside Outside Finland VR exhibition in the lobby of the WeeGee Exhibition Centre. Visitors will have the opportunity to use VR glasses to explore hard-to-reach locations, such as the Parikkala Statue Park. The work has previously been exhibited in Finnish cultural institutes in London, New York and Paris. The exhibition is open 15.8.-25.8.2024.

The Finnish organ supergroup Salonen-Gustavson-Gröhn, celebrating the release of their new album, will arrive at Sello Hall on Friday, 23 August. The three-piece electric Hammond organ ensemble will play groovy rhythm music with a very powerful organ sound. Accompanying Salonen will be two seasoned Hammond organists: legendary Jukka Gustavson from Wigwam and Pekka Gröhn from, among others, J. Karjalainen’s band.  The concert tickets are on sale at Lippupiste.  Pay-what-you-can tickets will also be available at the door. 

Miika Turunen, host of Radio Helsinki’s Pertti’s Choice programme, has curated Kannusali’s OAF programme for Saturday, 24 August together with Kalevi Helvetti, the alter ego of punk guitarist Pertti Kurikka. There will be three spectacular concerts: Kalevi Helvetti & Emola-Hatsina String Band, Tarkkis and Tamara Luonto. The concert tickets are on sale at Lippupiste. The event is a Kaikukortti card event, and pay-what-you-can tickets will be available.  The evening will also be a celebration of Kalevi Helvetti’s exhibition, which will be on display in the Kannusali lobby from 15 August to 30 September 2024. Admission will be free-of-charge.

The expanding Outsider Art Festival will also include music for children in Espoo.
Singer-songwriter Eeva Lusenius and drummer Toni Välitalo, or Hassut Tassut Duo, will give a free concert at the Children’s Cultural Centre Aurora on Friday, 23 August. The concert will be preceded by a participatory music workshop, and the work created there will be performed as part of the concert.

The OAF supports artists who are hard to employ and creates new pathways to employment. The festival is produced by the outsider art production house Pertti’s Choice, founded by the band Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät, and co-organised by Kukunori – the Central Association of Culture and Wellbeing in Finland and Autism Foundation Finland. The look of the festival is designed by graphic designer Klaus Welp.

The programme of the Outsider Art Festival is available on the Outsider Art Festival’s website(external link, opens in a new window).  The festival events to be organised in Espoo’s cultural houses are also compiled on the website.

Read also the news published on 15 May 2024 about the announcement of the Outsider Art Festival programme on STT Info(external link, opens in a new window) and watch the festival’s presentation video on YouTube(external link, opens in a new window). 

The City of Espoo’s cultural venues and services include the Espoo Cultural Centre, Sello Hall, Kannusali, Children’s Cultural Centre Aurora, WeeGee Exhibition Centre and the Espoonlahti Cultural Project.

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