New public artwork proposed by residents unveiled at the Oulunkylä station

A new public artwork, The Contemporaries, by artist Lasse Juuti, has been installed in Oulunkylä. The proposal to brighten up the station with art came from the Oulunkylä residents through the OmaStadi participatory budgeting. The work has been curated by HAM Helsinki Art Museum, and an unveiling ceremony will take place at Oulunkylän Seurahuone on 14 June 2024 at 11 a.m. The Deputy Mayor for Culture and Leisure of Helsinki, Paavo Arhinmäki, will unveil the artwork, and the artist will be present at the event. The unveiling ceremony is open for all.

Lasse Juuti’s The Contemporaries explores the sense of time. In the work, you may see clocks, bicycles, and a pump trolley familiar from the railways. According to the artist, the brothers Now and Soon, with their moustaches shaped like clock hands, are turning the time forward by riding the pump trolley, stretching up to the ceiling of the underpass as they work. Sense of time is a malleable and even a fragmented experience: sometimes time flies by, sometimes it seems to drag on.

On the opposite wall, a piece resembling dandelion has sprouted on the wall. Upon closer inspection a historical high-wheel bicycle turned upside down. Its large wheel is positioned in front of the sun, and the figure riding the bike is keeping the sun – and thus time – moving. According to the artist, the work refers, among other things, to a sundial, which tells the time through the movements of shadows and light.

To celebrate the inauguration of Lasse Juuti’s work, an unveiling ceremony open to all Helsinki residents is held on 14 June 2024. The event starts at Oulunkylän Seurahuone at 11 a.m., and the work will be unveiled in the station underpass at the end of the event. HAM Helsinki Art Museum’s Director Arja Miller will give the opening remarks of the event, and Helsinki Deputy Mayor for Culture and Leisure Paavo Arhinmäki will inaugurate the artwork.

– It is wonderful to finally get to unveil this work of art exploring time in a playful and multidimensional way. Lasse Juuti created the work specifically for the Oulunkylä station and residents of Oulunkylä. For us at HAM, it is important to bring art near people’s everyday lives in urban environments, Museum Director Arja Miller says.

Lasse Juuti (b. 1990) is known for his playful works stretching the boundaries of painting. Juuti’s pieces often break away from the traditional flat and rectangular form of painting, turning into three-dimensional combinations of painting and sculptures. The works are based on daily observations, a strong sense of rhythm, and references to architectural environment.

OmaStadi is Helsinki’s way of implementing participatory budgeting. It means that city residents can suggest ideas and vote on how residential areas are developed. The OmaStadi proposal to bring art to the Oulunkylä station underpass came from the Oulunkylä residents in 2021. The proposal received 464 votes and has now been realised.

Lasse Juuti’s work was curated by HAM Helsinki Art Museum, and it was created in cooperation with the City of Helsinki’s Culture and Leisure Division and Urban Environment Division. The work will be added to the City of Helsinki’s art collection, which is managed and curated by HAM.

Unveiling event at Oulunkylän Seurahuone (Larin Kyöstin tie 7) on 14 June 11:00–12:00

Programme

• Musical performance: Hulda Huima (solo) 
• Opening remarks: Arja Miller, Director of HAM Helsinki Art Museum 
• Speech: Marja Markko, Chair of the Oulunkylä-Seura Neighbourhood Association
• Speech: Artist Lasse Juuti 
• Unveiling of the work: Paavo Arhinmäki, Helsinki Deputy Mayor for Culture and Leisure
• Musical performance: Hulda Huima (solo) 
• Presentation of the work: Artist Lasse Juuti 

 
Refreshments available!

The event is open to all.
No RSVP required.