Performances by students of the University of the Arts Helsinki at the Vapaan taiteen tila pop-up!

For the second summer in a row, art created by students of the University of the Arts Helsinki will take over the summer streets of Kallio. The program includes music, street theatre, performances, and sculptures. This summer, the pop-up will take place at two different times: on Helsinki Day 12.6., and during a longer pop-up week in 10-16.8. The Street exhibition will open on the streets of Kallio on Helsinki Day, as part of the pop-up program. In addition, you can find a music ball in Kallio summer streets, that plays the songs of the artists that perform at Vapaan taiteen tila pop up. The music ball plays the music of Amifbi, Orke Ensemble, RÄKÄlicious, SERITA and TATAKI.

Helsinki Day 12.6.

On Helsinki Day, the Vapaan taiteen tila pop-up will kick off and the summer streets of Kallio will officially open. The Street exhibition will also open, bringing several highly intriguing sculptures and performances into the public urban space.

In addition, from 18.00 onwards, live music performances will take place on the Karhupuisto stage, featuring RÄKÄlicious, SERITA, Amfibi, and a performance called Uppanissalusnom that is a part of The Street exhibition.

Pop-up Week 10-16.8.

The pop-up week will be held in 10-16.8. and it will feature Pimeä kaupunki street theatre performances as well as more live music in Karhupuisto on Saturday 15.8. Performing RÄKÄlicious, TATAKI, and Orke Ensemble. In addition, The Street exhibition will still be on view.

The Street exhibition:

The Street exhibition consists of works created by students of the University of the Arts Helsinki for the Kallio summer streets. The exhibition includes both sculptures and performances. The exhibition opens on Helsinki Day 12.6. and will be on view until the final day of the pop-up week on August 16.8.

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Uppanissalusnom, 2026
Slice, Monia Kimara, Lisa Holmén​

Performance
Helsinki Day 12.6. at 20.30
Karhupuisto stage

“Uppanissalusnom plays backwards.”

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Ihana piknik (Lovely Picnic), 2026
Vita Edvards, Anni-Anett Liik

Veistos, 75 cm X 250 cm X 140 cm
12.6.-16.8.
Intersection of Agricolankatu and Fleminginkatu

“The picnic basket is lost, rain is pouring from the sky, and a layer of mold has formed at the bottom of the strawberry box. Lovely Picnic is a sculpture that celebrates all kinds of picnic moments, creating a fertile oasis in Matti Helenius Park. On rainy days, water gathers on the tablecloth, forming a puddle that becomes a small birdbath.”

Please note: Do not touch the artwork.

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Safe Terror Island, 2026
Shitty Title Group​

Performance
Helsinki Day 12.6. during daytime
Start at the unmade island, Intersection of Fleminginkatu and Franzéninkatu

“This unnamed ısland, is under construction (. .), and will stay under the construction (. . .) , for and by all the anonymous travelers who suspend themselves wıthın the temporal archıtecture ın the heart of the cıty.

We ask, wıth the collectıveness that you mıght care to JOIN ,who has the rıght to express desıres and wıshes, to redıne the narratıves of safety and terror <3⋆˙⟡ ?

Lets vandalıze, dance, gather and be sounded, and reclaım our together. whereas who are there wıll become the new WE.

Disclaimer:

我哋為帶來暫時嘅不便深感振奮
We are excited for the temporal inconvenience.
Við erum spennt fyrir tímabundnu óþægindunum
Çevreye verdiğimiz rahatsızlıktan dolayı heyecanlıyız.”

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Linja 9, 2026
Yu Peng Chen​

Mixed media (Wood, steel), 192 x 170 x 143 cm
12.6.-16.8.
Intersection of Vaasankatu and Fleminginkatu

“Inspired by the pantographs of Helsinki’s trams, 9 evokes the presence of an underground ghost tram cruising beneath the streets of Kallio. By placing the pantograph structure at ground level, the work reimagines the urban surface as a boundary where industrial steel and natural tree trunks reach up to connect with the city.”

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Concerning action, 2026
Iiris Laisi & TBA

Performance
Pop up week 15.8. at 19.15-19.40
Karhupuisto stage

“about the possibility to win.
we know what it’s all about and you do too”

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observer of beautiful things, 2026
Saga Kinni

Concrete, mirrors and crystals
12.6.-16.8.
Vaasanpuistikko

“The piece provides new lenses through which to view a place deemed un-beautiful and un-pleasurable. Through adjusting the gaze, it invites the viewer to submerge themselves to their surroundings.“

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found&lost, 2025-2026
Julia Krol, Efe Durmaz

Wire, polyurethane, paraffine wax, hand embroidery
12.6.-16.8.
The space of Kallion Kesäkadut

“6 small glove installations in Kallio (Helsinki), mixing physical sculpture and a fictional digital archive. Each glove is turned into a sculpture with a hand-embroidered QR code: scan it to open a unique “file” from found&lost—an archive of winter 2025/2026 body traces gathered across the streets of Helsinki.”

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Cats of Istanbul, 2026
Deniz Satir

Risoprint, 42x60cm
12.6.-16.8.
The space of Kallion Kesäkadut

“The most beautiful thing about the streets of Istanbul is it´s owners, CATS! Every neighborhood has it´s own cat colonies, the more you spend time in the same place, the more close you get with it´s cats. In this work, there are several riso-printed images that were taken during March 2026, the pictures of the cats who still exist and roam around the streets of Istanbul.. Their pictures and glory will be in the streets of Kallio too.”

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Up-to-date information about the event can be found on Vapaan taiteen tila’s Instagram account, @vapaantaiteentila, so be sure to follow it. More information about the pop-up exhibition will also be added to this website during the summer.