The environmental art project by Oulu-based visual artists Raimo Törhönen & Päivi Pussila continued this summer in Hailuoto. As part of the project, environmental artworks inspired by Raimo’s Barn paintings were painted on the walls of old barns.
The project originated from an idea by Raimo Törhönen and gallerist Hanna Manninen to create paintings inspired by Törhönen’s Barn series on the walls of actual barns, as part of Manninen Art, Branding & Design’s Oulu2026 Galleria International project. The idea was to bring art to unexpected places, where passers-by could discover it, while also highlighting the understated beauty and significance of the barns that form part of the Ostrobothnian landscape.
In spring 2025, the Working Group Pussila & Törhönen began planning the first barn mural in the Raahe region, and in summer 2025 they painted two barns in Vihanti: Ketolato and LatoLato.
The design of each environmental artwork has always begun with the chosen barn itself – its proportions, rhythms and colours. The aim is to bring out the building’s own beauty and character, to make the artwork part of the barn, and the barn part of the artwork. The surrounding nature and landscape are also taken into consideration, as is the way in which, and from where, people will encounter the work. The artists used oils made from materials as natural as possible, with colours chosen to sit naturally within the barn landscape.
In summer 2026, the artists took their project to Hailuoto and created a painting entitled Vincent’s Crows on the wall of a combine harvester shed in Hailuoto. The work can be found at the junction of Luodontie and Iljanantie.
The composition of this barn painting was developed from the proportions and colours of the side wall visible from the road, with the aim of creating a bold yet balanced entity. On top of this, the artists attached a flock of crows made from wooden boards, a direct reference to Vincent van Gogh’s Wheatfield with Crows. In this way, the work becomes part of the surrounding fields and natural landscape.
The two-year project is intended to continue. After all, barns can be found in other countries and landscapes too.
