The renovation of Oulu Town Hall, which began three years ago, was completed in September 2024. The building has undergone several renovations in its history and new works of art have been added to the premises. The neo-Renaissance Town Hall occupies a special place among Oulu’s historic public buildings. Once again, a number of works specially designed for the space have been purchased for the Council Chamber and its foyer. The starting point for the selection of artists was local art, as the aim is always to display works by artists from Oulu and North Ostrobothnia.
Painter Kirsti Muinonen (b. 1943) has painted two large acrylic and oil paintings, Cloud and Shower of Rain, at the end of the entrance staircase to the Council Chamber. The idea for the work came from a spring park picnic in an urban area. In her art, small but significant things such as plant pollination, cell division, beekeeping, memories of summer and the symbiotic relationship between man and nature create beautiful tapestries of layered surfaces, shapes and enchanting, vibrant colours.
Artist Kirsti Muinonen and her work Shower of Rain. Photograph: Mika Friman.
Painter Veikko Törmänen (b. 1945) has created two spatial works, Time Travel and Looking Glass, for the ceiling of the Council Chamber. Both works are, according to Törmänen, a tribute to the Town Hall, which, like a human being, flourishes in time but needs care as it ages. But unlike people, the building will live for centuries if we want it to. His works combine painted and mirrored surfaces with three-dimensional forms descending from the ceiling, while circular luminaires bring the tradition of abstract geometric art to life in a self-consciously elegant way.
Visual artist Veikko Törmänen and his works Time Travel and Looking Glass. Photograph: Mika Friman.
Painter and visual artist Kaija Hinkula (b. 1984) has created a site-specific painting installation called Democracy in two corridors of the Town Hall. The work, which takes a visual approach to political decision-making, includes surfaces painted directly onto the wall, texts relating to voting, shapes cut out of sheet metal, velvet curtains and, among other things, the chairperson’s gavel. Hinkula’s work offers a unique spatial experience that combines playfulness, polyphony and elegant wildness.
Visual artist Kaija Hinkula and part of the work Democracy. Photograph: Mika Friman.