Timo Peri’s recycled art in Pyhtää
The works of Timo Peri (b. 1959) cannot be missed in Pyhtää. They can be found on the shores, fields, along driveways and in public spaces, such as the Valta-akseli work in the Stockfors arched hall and the works at the Pyhtää House of Culture in Siltakylä. The most famous of the celebrities is the impressive landmark formed by 117 metal palm trees that rises along the E18 motorway.
The unique work, living and banquet facilities built by Timo Peri for Timo Teippi Oy in the old NAVETTA building have already been transferred to the next operator. Timo also designed Metsäkoti, which was built in a felling area, completely in the wilderness. In addition to his own sculptures, there is a smoke sauna, a bridal chamber and an activity chamber in the courtyard. As a new element, a PAJA workspace and gallery has been completed in the centre of Kotka, where guests can also enjoy themselves. It will be exciting to see what this new element will bring.
Timo Peri calls himself a discoverer of art and an ITE architect. His mission was to make “Pyhtää Visible”. The municipality of Pyhtää has awarded him with a cultural award in 2022. Nowadays, Timo Peri’s artistic activities are focused on Kotkansaari.
Timo Peri made his career from 1983 to 2018 as an entrepreneur in the advertising industry, designing and implementing thousands of car decals. At his 60th birthday party, he promised his friends that he would spend the rest of his life playing, and he is now doing it. Works were already created alongside his business activities, but after his working life, creativity and visual play have really been unleashed. He has been throwing himself into making his own art since 2019. Timo Peri’s idea is that creativity is about reconnecting familiar existing things.
Timo Peri is a discoverer of art, he sees art in a wide variety of places and objects and brings it to the fore. Most of the works are recycled art. The materials used in the works are discarded traffic signs, scrap iron and wood.
Text: edited from Timo Peri’s materials. Photos: Timo Peri.
TIMO PERI’S PUBLIC WORKS In different parts of the municipality of Pyhtää, the most famous being the 117 palm trees along the E18 motorway, the roadside signs in Siltakylä and the ironworks on Motellikuja in Siltakylä. Available 24/7.
WORKSPACE AND GALLERY Opistokatu 8, Kotka (entrance from the courtyard). Open whenever the door of the workshop is open, at other times by appointment, tel. 0400 255 575.
PERI’S FOREST HOME IN AHVIO has been transferred to new owners in 2025.
MIDDLE OF NOWHERE 24.6.–6.9.2025 in Hyvinkää, featuring Timo Peri’s Creativity Wall.
Timo Peri’s art works in Pyhtää
