The Summer Artist 2025: Emmi Kairenius
Emmi Kairenius (b. 1993, Sammatti) is the ninth Summer Artist of the City of Seinäjoki. This year’s working period is 2.6. – 3.8.2025. During the summer, Emmi Kairenius will carry out an art project in which she works as the official professional playmaker of the City of Seinäjoki. In this role, she explores possibilities of the play in Seinäjoki’s built environment through embodied participation—by engaging in playful interaction with the city’s structures and elements. For Kairenius, play is a way to perceive everyday surroundings in a new light and to test alternative ways of experiencing places. She invites the local community to take part in experimental play through open-to-all excursions into the built environment. In July, the Department of Urban Play, maintained by Kairenius, will open at Kalevan Navetta. The Department provides the latest play tips for various city sites and other consultancy toward experimental play. Throughout the summer, the professional playmaker can be encountered not only at the Department of Urban Play at Kalevan Navetta’s summer events, but also around the city in everyday environments.
The Summer artists at the main library in Seinäjoki. Photo by Emmi Kairenius
Summer artist programme
You can identify the summer artist by a vest that says Summer Artist (kesäkuvataiteilija) at the back or a white overall jumpsuit.
Kalevan Navetta’s Summer Day, 13 June, 17-19
During the evening, you can spot the City of Seinäjoki’s Summer Artist doing playful interventions in the Kalevan Navetta environment.
Seinäjoki summer events and festivals
The summer artist can also be spotted in different summer events in Seinäjoki.
Play trip to the city, Finnish Visual Arts Day 10.7. at 17:00 at Kalevan Navetta
Join us for an open play excursion to explore the urban environment through experimental play.
Department of Urban Play, Kalevan Navetta, every Wednesdays in July
The Department run by Karenius will open at the Kalevan Navetta, offering up-to-date play tips for different locations in the city, as well as other expert services and activities to guide experimental play. Open every Wednesday in July from 11am to 3pm, free admission.
Kalevan Navetta Afterwork Art evenings on 4 July and 1 August
The Afterwork Art event on 4 July offers a unique opportunity to explore the summer city with a late-night play excursion for adults, and on 1 August a video review of the entire summer’s urban play experiences, documenting Kairenius’ artistic work in the urban environment of Seinäjoki.
Seinäjoki urban environment
The summer artist can be spotted exploring everyday environments by embodied and repetitive engagement. The place of play can just as easily be a railway station staircase, a library bike rack or a random light pole.
Emmi Kairenius
Emmi Kairenius (b. 1993, Sammatti) is a visual artist based in Rovaniemi, Finland. Through her artistic practice, Kairenius explores the daily urban environment and public space. Her work is characterized by embodied and repetitive engagement with the surroundings—through observation of change, collecting found objects, and playfully interacting with elements of the city. Her works are public performative processes that at times take the form of video, photography, or installation. Kairenius earned her Master of Arts degree from the University of Lapland in 2024 and is currently pursuing doctoral studies in art. She has participated in exhibitions and, alongside working in gallery contexts, has been actively engaged in process-based art situated in urban environments.
