Join us for a ten kilometre ride just outside Imatra in South-Eastern Finland for some genuinely weird art on a lovely summer day!
The Jäppilänniemi Arts Road is a summer art event that the permanent and summer residents of the village organise every summer along a ten kilometre road, Jäppilänniementie which starts about five kilometres from the northern centre of Imatra, Vuoksenniska.
On both sides of the road you will find local artists’ works at about forty art points marked with a light blue triangle beside the road. You will find sculptures, cats, hay men, paintings, photos, poems and much more, some by professional artists and art students, others by the village people themselves.
The annual opening is always on the national Day of Poem and Summer on 6 July, the day when a great Finnish poet, Mr Eino Leino was born in 1878: "Lady June-July, for you I'm singing, Great the silence of my ardent heart, Merry music make, for faith is mounting, Verdant wreath of oak eternal start." (Nocturne, English version by Rupert Moredon). Each summer the participating artists are present at the opening, poems are recited.
For a visiting tourist, it may be a bit of a challenge to find the start of the Arts Road but believe us, it is worth it as part of your genuinely weird Finnish experience! As this is a ten kilometre road, it is not really good for pedestrians, but persons in wheelchairs or with da pram can easily join the adventure if you come by car and if you cannot find another solution, take a taxi!
if you come on a Wednesday evening or Sunday afternoon, stop at the Salo-Peltola Seurojentalo mid way of the Arts Road (Jäppilänniementie 728), at the exhibition café serving local delicacies like barley bread or rhubarb juice. There is also a somewhat primitive loo which may not be good for persons in a wheelchair - but will provide relief for the regular tourist! There is no museum shop.
In the winter, check Yle Areena for a review!
Jäppilänniemi Art Road
Jäppilänniementie, Imatra
https://www.facebook.com/Jäppilänniemen-Taidetie-572874632789977/
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