The Helsinki Exhibition & Convention Centre has ventured into something completely different from normal fair and congress activities: a team of ten graffiti artists has created a 160m-long painting on the exterior wall of the centre’s largest hall. In all, the painting includes nine works of art. Helsinki celebrates the Night of the Arts at the end of August each year. This project was one of 2010’s events.
The graffiti will remain in place for the coming year, until the completion of the new Hall 7 and the demolition of the present eastern wall in due course. The artwork, representing different styles, is on display for the perusal of all visitors to the Helsinki Exhibition & Convention Centre.
The opportunity for this legal wall of graffiti arose when, during the expansion of the Centre, a roofed corridor was created between the construction site and the eastern side of the largest hall. Visitors walk through this corridor on a regular basis.
Since carefully executed graffiti art is an integral part of urban culture, it is ideal for the setting of the Helsinki Exhibition & Convention Centre. Characteristically, graffiti remains in place for a certain period only, sometimes for a very short while. These paintings will remain on the wall for the coming year, i.e. until the completion of the new 15,000m2 multi-purpose hall in August 2011. Then, the new hall will be merged with the existing premises.
In sum, the Helsinki Exhibition & Convention Centre was praised for its unbiased attitude by the artists and general public alike: ‘This is awesome, well done!’
