Kulttuurikonttori, Hämeenlinna · Ämykesä 2026.

Three-piece band playing live in a sunny courtyard in front of a light wooden facade

Ämykesä 2026 in the courtyard of the Kulttuurikonttori. Live music in front of the old wooden house.

Number

J24 / 24/26

Section

Art

Date

12 July 2026

An old wooden house in the middle of Hämeenlinna where something is almost always going on. I took the Kulttuurikonttori to my heart right away.

A Place I Fell in Love With Right Away

There are places that win you over the moment you arrive. In Hämeenlinna, that place for me was the Kulttuurikonttori. From the outside, a beautiful old wooden house on Lukiokatu, in the middle of town. From the inside, far more than a gallery.

Gallery room in the Kulttuurikonttori with yellow abstract paintings on a white wall and an old tiled stove — *The gallery room in the old wooden house, with a tiled stove and changing exhibitions.*

More Than Four Walls With Pictures

The Kulttuurikonttori is a meeting place. For artists, musicians, makers and for everyone who takes joy in what people create with their hands and their ideas. Alongside changing exhibitions, there are studios, courses and talks, an art lending service, a small shop with handmade design and events all through the year. A house that is open every day and where something is almost always going on.

Hallway in the Kulttuurikonttori with densely hung art, a coat rack and a view into the design shop — *A hallway densely hung with works, and behind it the shop with handmade design.*

Ämykesä in the Courtyard

Yesterday I went to Ämykesä 2026, one of the summer gatherings in the courtyard of the house. It is the middle one of three dates this summer. Live music, a flea market, a clothing swap station, small workshops, coffee and many conversations. Exactly the relaxed atmosphere that makes local culture so special. It is all organized by Ämy ry, an association for live music that has shaped Hämeenlinna’s independent culture scene for decades and is, among other things, behind ÄMYROCK, considered Finland’s oldest free festival.

Courtyard at Ämykesä with a yellow and a black tent, flea market stalls and an apartment building in the background — *The courtyard at Ämykesä. Tents, flea market and clothing swap between the wooden house and the apartment block.*

Singer in a golden shirt reaching a hand toward the camera, band in backlight — *Full commitment on the small stage. The band gives everything in the afternoon light.*

Two women dancing in front of the racks of the clothing swap station, a bassist in the foreground — *Dancing happens between the racks of the clothing swap station.*

Two women at a table with oil pastels, magazines and collage material — *Collages and small works take shape at the long tables.*

Laughing woman in a colorful dress sitting in the audience — *The mood is open and light; there is laughter everywhere.*

Woman in brown overalls seen from behind, watching the band in the courtyard — *Listening, watching, being there. An afternoon without hurry.*

Four musicians of the band standing arm in arm in front of the wooden house, posing for a photo — *The band after the show, arm in arm in front of the facade.*

My Pictures Right in the Middle of It

What makes me especially happy is that a small selection of my own photographs is on view here right now. Seeing your own work become part of such an open and warm-hearted place is something I value deeply.

Wall with clipped-up landscape photographs by Roman Thomas, behind it a view into the design shop — *A small selection of my works, clipped to the wall of the Kulttuurikonttori.*

If You Ever Find Yourself Here

If Hämeenlinna ever crosses your path, stop by. It is in places like this that the creative heart of a city beats.

Detail of a colorful fringed costume and red shoes on gravel at the summer festival — *A summer afternoon of music, flea market finds and good spirits.*

My magazine from Hämeenlinna shows more of this place and the summer gathering.

Continue reading in the magazine →

J23

08.07.26 · Art

Before the Opening, Kaputa ry Hämeenlinna.

Two days before the opening, the first selection from my new series “Heimat” hangs on the wall. Just clips, no frames yet.

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