OAF’s Musical Microcosm comes again!
The OAF Musical Microcosm is lyrical, original, touching and topical. This year’s 2024 OAF music program features performance artist and music maker Stella Massa, Nairobi folk musician Ondi, rap group MC Zen & Urban Dream, visual artist and musician Timjune Tianjun Li and upbeat pop musician Madde Matilda. Singer and vocal coach Riikka Hänninen, one […]
OAF takes over Espoo!
Outsider Art Festival is launching a new collaboration with the City of Espoo this year. For this collaboration we have curated a special OAF Programme to be presented at Espoo’s cultural centres. This time, in addition to regular OAF program, there will be festival events at the Espoo Cultural Centre, Sello Hall, Kannusali, Children’s Cultural […]
Heini Merkkiniemi is the Mediator of the year!
Outsider Art Festival’s Festival Director Heini Merkkiniemi has won AGMA’s Mediator of the Year award! By giving out the Mediator Awards (Välittäjä-palkinto), AGMA wants to highlight the intermediaries in the creative economy whose valuable work is often hidden, but without whom many creatives and content would not get exposure and reach their audiences. The role […]
New currents in outsider film
This year, the Outsider Art Festival’s film programme features a diverse selection of new Finnish outsider film. There will be silence and nature mysticism, introspection and the pain’s of creation, as well as a wild riot of colour and an uninhibited flow of imagination. OAF Film screenings will screen short films Pikselijuhlan yltäkylläisyys (Petri Keckman), […]
Accessibility is a clear message
Production intern Satu Kankaanpää has been looking into the accessibility of the OAF festival. In this blog, Satu compiled some important perspectives on the topic. It’s a very broad topic. Accessibility has many forms; physical, communicative, economic, regional accessibility, as well as supporting the different senses and understanding in different language versions and learning styles. […]
The OAF 2024 programme has now been announced!
Outsider Art Festival OAF is the fourth annual urban festival celebrating equality, August 15-25, 2024. OAF presents a diverse and captivating mix of music, visual arts, performing arts, film, literature and life stories. OAF is a Partner Festival of Helsinki Festival. OAF empowers the space for outsider art and gives a voice to those outside […]
OAF and Internationality
(Picture: OAF international mentors Jennifer Gilbert on the left and Pierre Leichner on the right) To celebrate Europe Day (9 May), we present the festival’s international activities and partners. Come and listen to the European anthem Ode to Joy performed by Hammond artist Kalle Salonen! Internationality is reflected in the festival’s activities in many different […]
OAF is a revolution of work for outsiders
(In the picture: Pertti’s Choice and Kyrö Distillery Company’s teams worked on the worst fears of working life at Kalevi Helvetti’s workshop at Kyrö Visitor Centre.) Outsider Art Festival is produced by Pertti’s Choice, a production house for outsider art and a social enterprise founded by the punk band Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät (PKN). The festival […]
OAF production team gets more hands on the job
Outsider Art Festival is produced by Pertti’s Choice, the outsider art production house founded by Pertti Kurikka’s Name Days. The OAF production team works at Pertti’s Choice in Hakaniemi, Helsinki. The OAF team consists of Heini Merkkiniemi, Festival Director, Tuomas Vaahtoluoto, Producer and Communications Coordinator, Silja Pasila, Visual Arts Programme Producer, and Teuvo Merkkiniemi, Music […]
OAF 2024 Artists have been announced
(Picture: OAF Artistic Team at Pertti’s Choice shop & gallery at spring 2024) More than 400 artists from various fields applied to the Outsider Art Festival this year, from which 33 artists and groups were selected. It’s time to announce the selections! Congratulations to the artists! OAF 2024 artists are: Petri Keckman, Kanimaattorit, Satu & […]