Galleria Pihatto
About
Galleria Pihatto is a gallery space owned by the city of Lappeenranta, located in the city centre, in a beautiful natural setting in the old vicarage of Lappee. Pihatto is located at Valtakatu 80, 53130 Lappeenranta.
Gallery Pihatto is in use as a gallery space, and small events such as concerts, performances or workshops can also be organised in the space.
Opening hours
Opening hours of the current exhibition:
Tue-Fri 11-18
Sat-Sun 11-15
Free entry to all exhibitions.
Upcoming exhibitions
15.9.-3.10. Anna Pitkänen & Mari Ruuttunen - In the Valley
–– I walk through the valley of the shadow of death –– (Psalm 23:4)
In the Valley -exhibition explores mental health and well-being through comics and illustrations. It features works by two illustrators, Anna Pitkänen and Mari Ruuttunen. As the imagery includes some depictions of substance use and violence, the exhibition may not be suitable for the most sensitive viewers.
Mental health is an ongoing topic. A person struggling with illness can be ill too much or too little, ill too long or not ill long enough. Still, all of us can potentially enter the valley. The two illustrators aim to make this internal journey more visible through their works.
Anna Pitkänen is a comic artist and graphic designer who graduated from LAB University of Applied Sciences in 2024. Her work is characterized by the use of recurring cat-human figures to build recognizable and expansive narrative sequences. Her artistic style ranges from digital art to hand-drawn lines. Throughout the 2020s, Pitkänen has published short comics and stories, both in anthologies by comic associations and as self-published works, on an almost annual basis. She won the Short Comic award at the 2025 Helsinki Comics Festival. That same year, her work placed second in the ”Heavenliest Webcomic” category at Zinefest.
Mari Ruuttunen is a media professional based in Vantaa. She has a husband and two cats. Ruuttunen enjoys graphic design and working on creative projects. She studied visual arts at HEO Folk High School and completed a vocational qualification in media and visual expression in 2025. For her, art helps to explore emotional realms. Her illustrations are often narrative in nature and focus on atmosphere. Ruuttunen is currently studying to become an engineer in information and communication technology.
6.10.-24.10. EKKO taito- ja taideaineiden opettajat
Call for exhibitions at Galleria Pihatto
The application round for the year 2026 is over, the next open-call for the exhibitions will be organized in autumn 2026.
The selected exhibitions will be organised by the applicant. The city will conclude a lease agreement with the operator for the space of the Gallery Pihatto for the duration of the exhibition in question. The space is rent-free to the organiser, but the organiser is responsible for the supervision of the space during the opening hours of Galleria Pihatto, as well as for the marketing and communication of the exhibition and other contractual obligations of the tenant. The City of Lappeenranta is the landlord of the space and has no role in the organisation of the exhibition itself.
Galleria Pihatto — space and equipment
The address of Galleria Pihato is Valtakatu 80, 53130 Lappeenranta.
The large exhibition space is about 13 meters wide and 9 meters deep. The room height is about 3.2 meters. The walls of the room are surrounded by hanging rails. It is also possible to hang works on hooks in the middle of the ceiling.
The space has windowsills which can be used to display the works. The windowsills measure approximately 100 cm x 100 cm x 140 cm. The windows can be covered with blinds.
The space is equipped with an adjustable LED lighting system, two video projectors, 7,2 m x 1,7 m projection screen and a sound system consisting of a Yamaha MG10X mixer, speakers and 3 wired microphones and 3 microphone stands.
More information:
About the operation and practices of Galleria Pihatto:
Eetu Markkanen, Culture Coordinator
tel. 040 6314 276, eetu.markkanen@lappeenranta.fi
Anu Talka, Cultural Director
tel. 040 350 8111, anu.talka@lappeenranta.fi