To mark the Oulu2026 European Capital of Culture year, the museum’s programme will include a major exhibition of Sámi art, international high fashion, encounters between art and science, and experiences of falling out of time.
Around 100 artists and cultural organisations are collaborating with the Oulu Art Museum on the anniversary year’s exhibitions.
Eanangiella – Voice of the Land 16.1.–3.5.2026
The sustainability and beauty of Sámi culture take centre stage in a major exhibition that takes over the Oulu Art Museum. The exhibition will feature the work of more than 50 artists and duojáris from Sápmi, showcasing contemporary multimedia art, art-historical pieces, duodji (Sámi handicrafts), and soundscapes. Eanangiella – Voice of the Land exhibition is curated by Inga-Wiktoria Påve, Fredrik Prost ja Áilu Valle.
Read more about the exhibition.
YUIMA NAKAZATO 22.5.–11.10.2026
For the first time in Finland, the Oulu Art Museum presents a solo exhibition by esteemed Japanese couture fashion designer and photographer, Yuima Nakazato. The exhibition showcases Nakazato’s artistic work and thinking through three collections. While preparing for this exhibition, Nakazato travelled to the island of Hailuoto and Inari in northern Lapland. There he garnered inspiration for his latest collection which was presented at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week in the summer of 2025. The exhibition is directed by Yuima Nakazato in collaboration with curator Pasi Räbinä.
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Tomorrow’s Wardrobe 22.5.–11.10.2026
This international exhibition explores and paves the way for the future of fashion. Showcasing the creative work of fashion designers in a multidimensional way, it challenges and redefines the boundaries of fashion. The exhibition explores the topics of avant-garde fashion, the body and identity, biomaterials, and virtual fashion design. The exhibition is curated by costume designer, artist professor Pasi Räbinä.
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Adaptation 16.10.2026–14.2.2027
Who or what should adapt: humans or nature? Who dictates the terms? In the exhibition produced by Photo North – Northern Photographic Centre, adaptation means active agency that challenges the familiar narratives that tell people to survive and accept their fate. The artists of the exhibition are Matti Aikio, Erich Berger, Michele Boulogne, Elina Bry, Jaakko Myyri, Arttu Nieminen ja Maija Tammi. The exhibition is curated by Antti Tenetz, Taija Jyrkäs and Darja Zaitsev.
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Out of Time 30.10.2026–28.3.2027
An exhibition about a time when reality is an accumulation of parallel and overlapping events; a time when the order that defines our reality seems to be in transition. Out of Time brings together contemporary artists whose themes span from the Middle Ages to the present day. The featured artists are Teija ja Pekka Isorättyä, Jesse Jones (Ireland), Ida Koitila, Daniel Nagy ja Fanny Varjo. Exhibition is curated by Oulu Art Museum’s curator Selina Väliheikki.
Read more about the exhibition.
More info:
Selina Väliheikki, curator
selina.valiheikki@ouka.fi, +358447037456
Sallamaari Stenberg, communications designer
sallamaari.stenberg@ouka.fi, +358505262819
