General information about the artists’ association

South Karelian Artists’ Association is a member association of consisting of 187 professional artists founded in 1989 and the largest artists’ association in Southeast Finland. The association has organized diverse exhibition activities both in Finland and internationally and has acted as a cultural influencer for over 30 years. In addition to exhibition activities, the artists’ association contributes to the revitalization of its own region by participating in regional and national events and organizing them.

South Karelian Artists’ Association is a non-profit association, the activities of which have been maintained by the board, part-time wage-subsidized employees, an exhibition working group and short-term project workers. The South Karelian Artists’ Association maintains the Art Centre Itä in Lappeenranta at Valtakatu 66 together with the Finnish Jewellery Art Association. At the Art Centre Itä you will also find the Lappeenranta branch of the Kaakko Art Lending shop and services.

The association has been organizing exhibitions and events for over 30 years. In the recent years, exhibitions curated by the society have included:

• Fire station art event in Lappeenranta at the old Armila fire station (2025)
• “Ääres” art event in Lappeenranta (2025)
• “Rauha” exhibition at Imatra Art Museum, the associations 35th anniversary exhibition (2024)
• Supermarket Art Fair in Stockholm represented by Art Centre Itä (2024)
• “UNELMA” exhibition together with the Finnish Jewellery Art Association at Art Centre Itä (2024)
• KAAKKO 23 exhibition at Lappeenranta Art Museum in collaboration with Kaakon Taide (2023)
• Habitare fair with Kaakon Taide (2022)
• Joint exhibition with Kotka Artists’ Association at Galleria Uusikuva and Art Centre Itä (2022)
• KAAKKO 22 exhibition at Kouvola Art Museum, bringing together artists’ associations in the region (2022)
• “Paikalliset tulevaisuudet” exhibition at Imatra Art Museum (2021)
• At the MUCBE in Benicarlo, Spain (2020)

In addition to exhibition activities, the artist association contributes to the revitalization of its own region by organizing and participating in regional and national events. Through events such as Galleriaviikko, we aim to highlight the expertise of artists in the region, improve the awareness of the association and the Art Centre, and reach new customer groups. The Art Centre Itä has organized, among other things, artist meetings and lectures, video art events, various workshops, and music and performance performances. We strive to improve the livelihood and operating conditions of professional artists working in the region, and to set an example with our activities also nationwide.