Markku Sarastamo, Golden Bird. In the background, works by Leena Nio and Seppo Suomensyrjä. Photo: Heli Sorjonen – National Museum of Finland.
28.5.2026–7.3.2027 Häme Castle, Kustaa III:n katu 6, 13100 Hämeenlinna
What kind of art is created when life is self-made, art without boundaries and a desire to please? In the spirit of the medieval carnival tradition, the ITE art exhibition at Häme Castle declares the Day of the False King.
The works selected for the exhibition include works by 27 ITE artists from all over Finland. The works encourage people to understand difference and diversity through all kinds of madness and carnivalism. Self-taught artistry and original creativity are on display.
ITE art can be called visual contemporary folk art. Its creators draw their materials and subjects from their own living environment and personal worldview.
The works in the exhibition are full of joy, courage to try new things and courage to question those in power. Laughter, ridicule and criticism, which are part of the tradition of carnivalism, have a topical echo at a time when freedom of speech and expression is being curtailed in many places.
Artists whose works are included in the exhibition:
Tyyne Esko
Greger Grönholm
Enni Id
Joona Hamm aka Löpöpunkki
Paula Huhtanen
Martti Hömppi
Marko Jääskeläinen
Jori Tapio Kalliola
Marjut Kauppinen aka Romurinsessa
Martta Korhonen
Mauri Korhonen
Egor Kuklin
Juha Käkelä
Elisa Kärjä
Esa Leppänen
Petri Martikainen
Leena Nio
Jorma Pihl
Jari Rantanen
Jyri Rastas, ITE Artist of the Year 2026
Ilmari “Imppu” Salminen
Mirjami Rautio
Pekka Salminen
Markku Sarastamo
Kaarina Staudinger-Loppukaarre
Seppo Suomensyrjä
Ensio Tuppurainen
The video compilation produced by Veli Granö also presents some of the most well-known ITE art environments. The video can also be viewed on the YouTube channel of the Association for Rural Education.
The works in the exhibition are on loan from the collections of the Association for Rural Culture and Education (MSL) and directly from the artists. The exhibition, produced by the National Museum of Finland, has been produced in cooperation with the MSL.
The setting of the exhibition is the medieval Häme Castle. Photo: National Museum of Finland.Markku Sarastamo, parrot sculptures Amo, Amego and Ameto. Markku Sarastamo was selected as the ITE Artist of the Year 2025 by the Association for Rural Culture and Education. Photo: Toni Karén – National Museum of Finland.ITE Artist of the Year 2026 Jyri Rastas, detail from the triptych The World Inside the Walls. Photo Heli Sorjonen – The National Museum of Finland.Marjut Kauppinen aka Junk Princess, Butterflies in the Stomach, the ITE Art Collection of the Association for Rural Culture and Education. Junk Princess was the ITE Artist of the Year 2022. Photo: Heli Sorjonen – The National Museum of Finland.Paula Huhtanen, Happy Birdhouses. In 2020, Paula Huhtanen was the first ITE Artist of the Year selected by the Association for Rural Education. Photo: Heli Sorjonen – The National Museum of Finland.Mirjami Rautio, Eagle, the ITE Art Collection of the Association for Rural Culture and Education. Photo Katja Skinnari.Martta Korhonen (1913-2013) used mixed media to create works from all the material she could get her hands on. The works in the picture are from the ITE Art Collection of the Association for Rural Culture and Education. Photo: Heli Sorjonen – The National Museum of Finland.ITE Artist of the Year 2021 Jori Tapio Kalliola, Maria Postmodern. Photo: Heli Sorjonen – The National Museum of Finland.Paintings by Greger Grönholm. Photo: Heli Sorjonen – The National Museum of Finland.Tyyne Esko (1920-2011), The Emperor in Cabbage Land, The ITE Art Collection of the Association for Rural Culture and Education. Photo: Heli Sorjonen – The National Museum of Finland.Ilmari Salminen’s (1929-2008) collage works of those in power. The ITE Art Collection of the Association for Rural Education. Photo: Heli Sorjonen – The National Museum of Finland.Jyri Rastas, a portrait of Putin, made by tufting, is hung behind a grid in the castle hall. Photo Heli Sorjonen – The National Museum of Finland.Jyri Rastas, Degenerate monks. Photo: Heli Sorjonen – The National Museum of Finland.Mauri Korhonen, Your Sins Are Erased. The work is a mosaic assembled from erasers. Mauri Korhonen is a long-time visual artist whose playful, insightful and boundary-breaking expression sits naturally alongside ITE art.Veli Granö’s video compilation presents Twelve ITE Art Environments, including Ensio Tuppurainen’s (1924-2014) sculpture yard Jätkän Onnela in Vekaranjärvi. Photo: Veli Granö.Alpo Koivumäki’s (1939-2023) sculpture park Alpo’s Savannah is a popular ITE art environment in Kauhajoki and one of the sites presented in Veli Granö’s video Twelve ITE Art Environments, Photo: Veli Granö.
