As part of Oulu August Festivals’ Delta Life project, the documentary series Artist Is Born in the Delta has followed six young artists’s paths for over two years towards Oulu’s year as European Capital of Culture.
The series features dancer Ida Remsu, visual artist Marianne Kauppila, composer Niilo Korsulainen, pole dancer Mandi Koskela, and musician siblings Emilia and Joonatan Lappalainen, who perform together as Duo Lappalainen.
A 10-minute short documentary has been made about each artist. The films will be released on Saturday, 3 October at 15:00 at the Genelec Lounge in Kauppakortteli Pekuri. Admission is free.
The artists’ journeys have also been documented over the years through the social media channels and websites of Pohjoinen kulttuurivirta and Oulu August Festivals. The project culminated in the artists’ performances and an exhibition during summer 2026.
Mandi Koskela: “You don’t have to know everything right away”
Pole dancer Mandi Koskela, originally from Ranua, performed in June at the Maakinen Martinniemi event by the sea and at Martinniemen Kerhola. Mirella’s song Kaikki vielä edessä (“Everything Still Ahead”) provided inspiration for the choreography.
“I especially wanted young people to recognise something of themselves in the piece. That feeling that you don’t have to know or decide everything right away. That you can pause in the present moment and still trust what the future holds,” Koskela says.
Niilo Korsulainen: a long-held dream of opera
During the project, composer Niilo Korsulainen composed his first opera. Poikanne Yrjö is a chamber opera telling the tragic story of a young man who wanted to go to war and what awaited him there.
The opera premiered in July and August at Pohjankartano Hall as part of the Oulu2026 programme. Composing an opera had been a long-held ambition for Korsulainen.
“In opera, music doesn’t carry the drama on its own. Things happen on stage, the text speaks, and music can shape what happens through even the smallest gestures. It can heighten the atmosphere and take it somewhere words cannot reach. That is why opera has long been a great dream of mine,” Korsulainen says.
Marianne Kauppila: “This work is real”
Visual artist Marianne Kauppila, whose work focuses on mural art, was selected as the Visual Artist of the Year for this year’s Oulunsalo Soi Chamber Music Festival. The festival’s visual identity was built around her work, and her exhibition Rock’n’roll Lovestyle was on display at Oulunsalo Library from 6 August to 28 September. Joonatan Lappalainen from Duo Lappalainen performed at the exhibition opening.
The exhibition itself grew out of Kauppila’s relationship with music and her journey as an artist. “Music reaches deeper for me than words can. Being invited to be the Visual Artist of the Year reminded me that this work is real – that other people can see something in it, too,” Kauppila says.
Ida Remsu: “Art deserves to be seen”
Dancer and dance teacher Ida Remsu presented her latest work, Lub-dub, in August at Varikko Panimo as part of the Oulu Delta Art Days. Percussionist I-han Fu performed in the piece. Alongside the performances, Remsu led an inclusive dance workshop based on the work.
“I think art deserves to be seen. It isn’t hidden away; it is part of life. With my work, I want to offer something that feels both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time – a three-dimensional experience that stays with you,” Remsu says.
Duo Lappalainen: exploring new collaborations
Duo Lappalainen consists of musician siblings Emilia and Joonatan Lappalainen. Combining violin and marimba, the duo performed with Oulu-based poets Tuisku Koskela and Jyri Ollila at Oulun Muusajuhlat Literary art Festival in August.
“We had never combined playing music with spoken poetry before. We’d be happy to do something similar again in the future. Maybe we’ll perform with the same line-up somewhere again, or perhaps find new interdisciplinary collaborations. We’re open to anything,” Emilia and Joonatan say.
The Artist Is Born in the Delta documentary series is part of the Oulu2026 cultural programme.
