Murals in Hämeenlinna
The murals of Hämeenlinna bring art into view across different parts of the city. Street art works can be found in areas such as Kantola, Iittala, Tiiriö, and the underpass tunnels in the city centre.
Kantola mural
In September 2017, as part of the UPEA17 urban art festival, Australian artist Guido van Helten created the largest mural in the Nordic countries in Hämeenlinna. Van Helten painted the 56-metre-high work on the facade of the old grain silos in Kantola.
Van Helten’s works are massive, nearly photorealistic portraits. He is known for his extremely precise depictions of human faces.
The subjects of the artist’s works are often historical and poignant – through his art, he creates a contrast to conventional street art and the advertising imagery of urban spaces. Van Helten has a unique style of connecting his work to society and local identity. In Hämeenlinna, the artist familiarised himself with local families and the lifestyle before beginning the painting process.
The artwork can be admired, for example, from the hill at the event park (address Puusepänkatu 9, Hämeenlinna).
Other murals in Hämeenlinna
Sauvola Welfare Centre
Sauvalanaukio 4, Iittala
Artist Petra Heikkilä painted Finland’s first naivist mural, titled Uusi lehti (A New Leaf), on the exterior wall of the Sauvola Welfare Centre, which opened in September 2017. The work depicts the building, generations, well-being, and the library.
Iittala northern underpass tunnel
The underpass tunnel was painted by art groups from the upper grades of Iittala Comprehensive School in the summer of 2016.
Tiiriö underpass
A street art work depicting Irwin Goodman, located in the underpass between Prisma and Tokmanni in Tiiriö.
The work was created by Don Poro as part of the anniversary programme for the Räikee street art festival. In previous years, Don Poro has created works in Hämeenlinna including a portrait of Jean Sibelius on the wall of the Linna Shopping Centre next to the Birthplace of Jean Sibelius, as well as a work depicting a Labrador Retriever named Pertti Perseilevä next to the former Iskelmä Bar.
Kaivokatu underpass tunnel
More than a dozen young adults painted a mural in the Kaivokatu underpass tunnel under the guidance of artist-instructors. The painting of underpasses has been a request from both young people and other municipal residents. The final result was supervised by Hämeenlinna-based visual artists Mikko Myöhänen and Salla Laurinolli.
Verkatehdas wall
The first street art work in Hämeenlinna, the blue Giants (Aimo Katajamäki), was implemented on the wall of Verkatehdas in the summer of 2007.
Viipurintie underpass tunnel at the railway station
Visual artist duo Kim Somervuori and Teemu Mäenpää arrived in Hyvinkää and Hämeenlinna as part of the UPEA16 street art festival.