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 the art scene and society. The festival aims to promote equality by bringing people together and enabling new encounters. The OAF supports artists who are hard to employ and creates new pathways to employment. The festival is produced by the outsider art production house Pertti’s Choice and co-organised by Kukunori – the Central Association of Culture and Wellbeing in Finland and Autism Foundation Finland. The look of the festival is designed by graphic designer Klaus Welp. See the festival trailer here.
OAF takes over the cultural spaces of Helsinki and Espoo
OAF 2024 presents a multidisciplinary arts programme in urban spaces, on the radio and online. This year, OAF will take over the cultural and urban spaces of Helsinki and Espoo. Tickets for the events are on sale at Tiketti and Lippu.fi. OAF events are accessible and safe for all. See more detailed event information here. The programme includes many free events and online programmes. The programme will be updated until Midsummer.
The main event venue for 2024 is the old Elanto Leipätehdas (‘bread factory’) area, where an experiential event complex will be built on the opening weekend in collaboration with the Cultural Centre Caisa, Tekstin Talo – the House of Text and Mad House Helsinki. Art exhibitions will be on display in the galleries of Caisa and Pertti’s Choice, short films and music performances in Caisa, and poems and performances in Tekstin Talo. Workshops, talks and DJs will be on the programme. Discussions will focus on power and powerlessness, mental health and dreams.
This year, OAF events can also be experienced in Espoo in several different locations. On the second weekend of the festival, the three hammond ensemble Salonen-Gustavson-Gröhn will take over Sello Hall, while Pertti’s Choice live show curated by Miika Turunen and Kalevi Helvetti will fill Kannusali.
Buy your tickets now and invite a friend! The OAF ticket shop can be found here. Tickets for the Sellosali events are here and tickets for the Kannusali events here.
