The question could be answered with an essay. On the Night of the Arts, 20 August, it is answered from the stage.
At the National Theatre’s Lavaklubi: a poetry performance by DuvTeatern’s Ragnar Bengtström, the OAF Poetry Stage with six OAF poets and a guest poet from WSOY, and a gig by the band Nykypost. Doors at 19:00, free admission.
19:30 · Ragnar Bengtström: Ut genom väggen!
The evening opens with DuvTeatern’s Ragnar Bengtström and his poetry performance Ut genom väggen! This is not a reading but a composed whole: words and music weave together seamlessly as Bengtström performs his texts alongside reciter and poetry editor Sanna Huldén, accompanied by the cello of Elina Mattila. The performance is directed by Mikaela Hasán.
20:00 · OAF Poetry Stage
Taking the stage are the poets of the OAF literature programme — Tuulia Nuutinen, Riina Noro, Matson Välkkilä, shout poet EJH, Satu Kankaanpää and Ansa Kurola — together with a guest poet from WSOY. All perform their own texts.
The evening features a diverse array of unprecedented textual worlds and precise observations on being an outsider. The programme is curated by critic and literature teacher Aleksis Salusjärvi and poet Sanni Purhonen.
21:30 · Nykypost
The evening culminates in a gig by the band Nykypost, where a fiery, Ginsberg-esque and psychedelic spoken word tradition merges with the cultural heritage of punk, Thrasher and the Back to the Future films.
Please note the entrance
The entrance is on the Itäinen Teatterikuja side — not Lavaklubi’s usual western entrance. The Itäinen Teatterikuja entrance is accessible.
At the same time around Töölönlahti
The literature evening is part of OAF’s Night of the Arts programme. The same evening features the participatory megaphone work MegOAFone under the Oodi canopy from 16:00 to 18:00, Natalia Tong-Ochoa’s Sauna of Hope in Oodi’s Kuutio from 17:00 to 20:30, and a tribute to park drummer Jarmo at the Amphitheatre of the Finnish National Opera and Ballet from 18:00 to 20:00.
Practical information
Time: Thursday 20 August 2026, doors at 19:00, programme 19:30–22:00 Place: The National Theatre’s Lavaklubi, Itäinen Teatterikuja 2 A, 00100 Helsinki Admission: free
The Outsider Art Festival’s literature programme is produced in collaboration with WSOY. OAF is a friend festival of Helsinki Festival. The festival runs 20–30 August 2026 in Helsinki and Espoo, and this year’s theme is Hope. Most events are free. You can support the work by buying a supporter ticket from the OAF ticket shop.