About Purkutaide
Ten years of an against-the-grain culture of artistic experimentation
Purkutaide reveals all that can be done in buildings awaiting demolition and otherwise empty spaces before they disappear.
The story
One more burst of value for buildings, artists, exhibition visitors and the local community.
Where did it all begin?
In 2016, after long negotiations, we gained the use of commercial premises in Kerava that were awaiting demolition. Our key idea was that it would be a shame to tear them down without something new being born in them one last time. More than a hundred artists took part in that first project, made up of graffiti and street art. After that, there was no going back. On the contrary, year by year we have gone deeper into what is possible in demolition spaces and otherwise empty buildings, when you dare to experiment and swim against the current.
Why do we do this?
In Finland, buildings stand empty all the time, waiting for a new purpose or for demolition. At the same time, artists are looking for space to do something that doesn't fit within the walls of a white gallery.
Purkutaide brings the two together.
What have we learned in ten years?
- —Empty buildings are a resource
- —Art is for people
- —Everyone who makes art is an artist
- —Experience is not the enemy of art
- —Even the temporary can be meaningful
- —The world changes when you change it.
The numbers
Over ten years we have carried wall panels, painted through the night, negotiated with property owners, cleaned up dust and built exhibitions in spaces whose existence will soon end. Yet the same idea still carries us: empty spaces deserve one more story before they disappear, and artists deserve spaces in which to tell their stories.