In the summer of 2025, Oulu based visual artists Raimo Törhönen and Päivi Pussila launched an environmental art project in which works of art inspired by Raimo’s barn-themed artwork are painted on the end walls of old barns.
One important element of the Galleria International project is to bring art to people, in surprising and even everyday places. Why not on barn walls in the middle of the countryside?
The concept is simple: find a suitable old barn with an end wall visible from a road or path where people pass by. A place where art isn’t expected – where it can pleasantly surprise passers-by. A composition of five colours is painted on the barn’s wall: simple, harmonious shades that blend naturally with the environment. No figurative elements, no text or symbols, no graffiti.
The idea originated from Raimo’s three-part Barn Painting series, which was exhibited at Neliö-Galleria in February 2025. In these works, Raimo used a simplified barn motif as the foundation for abstract colour compositions. The finished pieces sparked a new idea: what if the process was reversed? What if abstract colour composition was taken out into the rural landscape onto real barns combining two seemingly unrelated elements? The goal was to let the artwork become part of the landscape, and the landscape part of the artwork. The underlying principle is to respect the structure, the scenery, and nature alike.
This summer, the artists painted two barns in the Raahe region. The first artwork, named KetoLato, was completed for the Pekanpäivät festival at the end of June 2025. KetoLato can be found from Lukkaroistentie 75, 86400 Vihanti. The second piece, LatoLato, was completed in July 2025 and is also located in Vihanti – alongside Route 88, between Lapaluoto and Vihanti, halfway between Alatalontie and Viitapellontie.
The Barn Painting project by the Pussila & Törhönen working group will continue in summer 2026. There are also plans to extend the project beyond its initial two-year scope as barns can also be found from other countries and landscapes.
