Marina Abramović’s new exhibition, “Skin, Salt and other materials,” will be presented at AaltoSiilo in Oulu, Finland, from 2–5 September 2026 as part of the Oulu 2026 European Capital of Culture programme.

Curated and produced by Factum Arte, the exhibition brings together new and previously unseen works created through Abramović’s long collaboration with Factum’s team. Highlights include works made with alabaster and simulated vellum, a large salt sculpture reflecting on the Baltic Sea, glass tears, and miniature recreations of iconic performances.

The programme will also feature daily screenings of Seven Deaths of Maria Callas and two performances of The Concrete Cathedral. Admission to the exhibition is free.

Full programme

Photo and video artist Elina Brotherus is one of the most well-known contemporary artists in the Nordic countries. Few people know that she has roots in Oulu: Elina's grandmother Elsa was from Värttö in Oulujoki.

Elina will bring an extensive Alvar Aalto exhibition to the Oulu2026 programme, which focuses on the architecture and fictional stories of the homes designed by Aalto. 'Women on Waves - Elina Brotherus and Alvar Aalto's Homes' will be on display from 5 to 30 August at the Aalto Siilo in Meri-Toppila.

The exhibition is organised in collaboration with the Photo North - Northern Photographic Centre.

From 11–16 September, AaltoSiilo will host MEREN TIET – The Travelling Art Container: Crossroads of Water, a site-specific media installation by the Scandinavian, German and Greenlandic art collective Tura Ya Moya. Each evening from dusk until 22:30, large-scale projections and sound will transform the iconic building into a public meeting place exploring the sea as a shared space of memory, history and connection.

The programme also includes a live performance inside the Siilo on 12 September (20:00–21:00), bringing together musicians, poets and performers from across the Nordic region. Local artists and children from Meri-Toppila have contributed artworks created especially for the project.

Part of the official Oulu2026 programme, MEREN TIET is free to attend and invites audiences of all ages to experience contemporary artistic storytelling inspired by Nordic, Sámi and Greenlandic histories.

On 29 August 2026, A Day in Meri-Toppila will take place as part of Oulu’s Alvar Aalto Week, offering visitors an opportunity to explore the history and architectural heritage of the area.

The programme includes a presentation of the Meri-Toppila daycare centre building history survey, an architectural walk, and speeches by local and international experts. The event will also feature the premiere of Crossroads, a six-part documentary series that examines the relationship between people, place, and the ongoing restoration of AaltoSiilo in Oulu.

Full programme here

From 5 to 29 August 2026, the EUmies Awards 2026 Exhibition will be hosted at the Aalto Siilo as part of European Capital of Culture, marking the second international presentation of the exhibition following its debut in Barcelona during the EUmies Awards Days 2026 and Bucharest. Presented in a photographic format, the exhibition showcases the works of the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture / Mies van der Rohe Awards 2026.

Together, these works offer a compelling overview of the most significant architectural achievements realised across Europe in recent years and reflect on some of the key challenges facing contemporary society, including transformation, reuse, care, public space, cultural infrastructure and new ways of inhabiting existing buildings and territories.

More info on the EUmies Awards website

On 1 September 2026, the Provenance Projected research initiative will host a symposium at Aaltosiilo as part of the Oulu2026 European Capital of Culture programme. Bringing together leading voices from architecture, heritage, design, and the arts, the event will explore how architectural heritage can be adapted and reused in an era of circularity.

The symposium will feature presentations on the transformation of industrial structures for cultural use, including case studies from Kunstsilo and Aaltosiilo itself. Speakers include Adrian Forty, Uwe Fleckner, Charlotte Skene Catling, and Adam Lowe, among others. The programme will include a drinks reception, a guided tour inside the Silo and a screening of Marina Abramovic's The Seven Deaths of Maria Callas.

The event will take place at Aaltosiilo in Oulu capacity is limited to 60 attendees. Click here to register

As part of the official Oulu2026 European Capital of Culture programme, AaltoSiilo will host TRIÁLOGO, a site-specific live performance by flamenco artist Anna Murtola and electronic musician and percussionist Josu Mämmi.

Conceived specifically for the former wood-chip silo in Toppila, the work unfolds as a dialogue between voice, electronic sound and architecture. Through music and improvisation, the performance explores the relationship between people and places, inviting the building itself to become an active participant.

TRIÁLOGO reflects on the forgotten spaces that lie between past and present: former industrial sites and public places that once shaped everyday life before falling into disuse. By bringing music into the abandoned silo, the performance creates an opportunity to reconnect with these spaces, honour their memories and experience them in a new way.

The performances take place at AaltoSiilo on:

- Friday 26 June 2026, 7:00 pm

- Saturday 27 June 2026, 4:00 pm

The performance on 26 June at 7:00 pm (Finnish time) will also be streamed live worldwide via Anna Murtola's YouTube channel.

Admission is free, but places are limited. Please reserve your ticket by Thursday 25 June by emailing:
anna.murtola@gmail.com

Supported by The Arts Promotion Centre Finland and Oulu Cultural Foundation

The Another Gaze architecture seminar will take place in Oulu on Friday, 28 August 2026, as part of the Alvar Aalto Week and Oulu 2026 European Capital of Culture programmes. The event will be held at AaltoSiilo, one of the industrial building by Alvar and Aino, which is currently being developed into a cultural centre by Skene Catling de la Peña and Factum Foundation.

Another Gaze examines contemporary ways of representing and viewing architecture in a time marked by geopolitical tensions, technological transformation, and the climate crisis. It invites participants to consider which perspectives and modes of interpretation have received too little attention, and what kinds of ways of seeing are most urgently needed today.

The seminar brings together architects, artists, curators, researchers, educators, and students to discuss current and future perspectives on architecture. Three international experts will deliver keynote lectures:

• Phineas Harper – architecture critic, journalist, and sculptor, London
• Meneesha Kellay – Lead Curator, V&A East Museum, London
• Mari Lending – Professor of Architectural History and Theory, Oslo School of Architecture and Design

The programme will also feature presentations selected through an open call, as well as panel discussions. The full programme will be published soon.

The event is open to all and free of charge.

Welcome to join the discussion.