At OAF, hope means action: the chance to take part, to have a say, and to build the future together.
At OAF, hope means that outsider artists are not merely the objects of activity, but makers, decision-makers, curators, performers and trailblazers. Our work is guided by the principle of the international disability movement: Nothing about us without us.
The OAF HOPE Talks discussion series brings forward hopeful voices, encounters and actions from the creative events sector — on OAF stages, on the radio and on social media. The original idea for the theme came from Kia and Sami of the OAF team. For communications intern Kia Tuusvuori, hope comes from having been welcomed into the OAF crew and treated as an equal. For Sami Helle, founding member of Pertin Valinta, hope at OAF comes from outsiders’ voices being heard: “the future cannot be built without us outsiders.”
Hope is both seen and heard in outsider art. In OAF’s work, listening to minorities is not a formality but the starting point of everything we do together. The drum tribute to Jarmo the park drummer has already sparked an enormous amount of hope before the event has even begun: out of something thrown away come rhythm, energy and shared joy. And Berries and Fruits of My Mind, a work by Juha Pesonen, the artist behind the OAF 2026 poster, reminds us of the importance of imagination. As long as we have imagination, we have the chance to see things differently and to solve the great problems of our time.
A warm welcome to the Outsider Art Festival! Explore the OAF Hope Talks programme:
OAF Hope Talks: Art is hope – and hope is action