KUMMA’s New Art Restroom in Collaboration with Niuvanniemi Hospital

The community artwork Mona Lisa Restroom by visual artist Johanna Rossi and patients from Niuvanniemi Hospital has been completed at KUMMA. The piece is the result of a close collaboration initiated between the museum and the hospital.

The starting point for the artwork was a collection of Mona Lisa-themed objects that had been stored in KUMMA’s basement for years. Rossi began working on the piece in January, collaborating with a group at Niuvanniemi Hospital. Since then, the group has visited the art museum several times with Rossi to continue working on the piece on-site.

According to Marja-Leena Piippo, an occupational therapist at Niuvanniemi Hospital, both the hospital and the museum had faith in the success of the project, even though a lot was expected from the participants. “The participants have been delightfully committed to creating the artwork,” Piippo notes.

Johanna Rossi, who has worked with many different art groups, found the project particularly rewarding because, unlike usual, the participants did not take the artwork with them. This time, the artist was able to create a piece that showcases the results of long-term collaboration for everyone to see. “The final piece emerged through discussions with the participants, and together we decided what would be included in the art restroom. Even though only a tiny glimpse of my own painting is visible in the work, the whole is still my artistic creation,” Rossi explains.

According to KUMMA’s director Anna Vilkuna, Mona Lisa Restroom is an excellent example of how community art can open new perspectives and bring people together through creative work. “The piece is wonderful. It fits beautifully into our collection exhibition. I’m truly proud of the entire team,” says Vilkuna.

Mona Lisa Restroom is part of a new collection exhibition opening in October. However, it will be available for preview on Thursday, July 3th from 13 to 17. The new piece is part of the Art Without Walls – ESR+ project, a collaboration between KUMMA and Savonia University of Applied Sciences.