There’s more to Levi and Kittilä than just their beautiful nature!  Local artists play a significant role in Finnish and Lappish art history. Artists don't only depict Kittilä as it is now, but also express its multifaceted spiritual atmosphere, conveying various experiences and stories about Kittilä. You can get to see and learn about Kittilä's local art in its museums, galleries, and exhibitions.

Art museums, galleries and exhibitions in Levi:

Samiland in Levi - The indigenous people of the North

Learn all about the indigenous people of the North, the Sámi. The Samiland exhibition covers a thousand years of Sámi history, culture and mythology. You will learn about the differences between the Skolt Sámi and the Fjell Sámi, the traditional livelihood and ancient mythological characters in the indoor exhibition at Samiland. The outdoor exhibition introduces you to Sámi buildings and reindeer husbandry.

Samiland is located at the Levi Summit, within Hotel Levi Panorama's immediate vicinity,
on Tunturitie 205, Levi. You can get to Samiland by car, bus (in the winter season), gondola lift, and stairs located in the centre of Levi. Access to Samiland is via Spiella Café.

Samiland is open from the 23rd of November onwards during the hours of 11:00 to 17:00.

Prices: €12 per person, €10 for pensioners and students, €9 for children aged 7-16, free for children under 7 years old. €24 for a family pass for either 2 adults and 2 children, or 1 adult and 3 children. The entry ticket/pass includes a coffee, tea, or hot juice which can be enjoyed after the tour. www.samiland.fi

Särestöniemi Museum  

“There is only me in my paintings. My whole life is in them, my happiness and pain, my unfulfilled longings”.

Reidar Särestöniemi (1925–1981) is one of the most well-known Finnish artist and the most notable Lappish artist of his time. Särestöniemi was the youngest child born to a family of seven with Alma and Matti Kaukonen, then Särestöniemi, in the Kaukonen village in Kittilä.

Reidar Särestöniemi studied at the Finnish Academy of Arts (Suomen
taideakatemia) in Helsinki (1947–1952) and at the Ilya Repin Leningrad Institute (1956–1959). Särestöniemi’s career as an artist started to rise to fame with his first solo exhibition Särestöniemi held in Helsinki in 1959. Except for his years of study, Särestöniemi lived his entire life at his farmhouse. Särestöniemi was awarded the title of Professor of Art 1975. Reidar Särestöniemi was a vibrant person who sparked the discussion about both the
content of his art and his own personality during his time.

The Särestöniemi Museum is located 49 km from Levi, in
Kaukonen. Open Tue-Sat 12:00-18:00

Museum tour duration: 60 min. approx. Ticket prices: €12 per person, €10 for pensioners, students, and schoolchildren. Family pass (2 adults and 2 children aged between 7-16 years old) €35, group pass €10 per person, for groups with a minimum of 12 people. Ticket sales close at 17:00, ph: 016 654 480 www.sarestoniemenmuseo.fi

Einari Junttila Art Museum in the Kittilä village

Einari Junttila was considered one of the most talented Finnish watercolour painters in the 1930s when he started his career by holding exhibitions in Germany and Helsinki. The internationally acclaimed artist had been invited to exhibitions in Finland and abroad.

In his art, Junttila was the saviour of the old times, the original Lapland, but also was a photographer of more modern times. Junttila’s works portray the pristine natural environment and the Lappish mentality at its best. The “lyrical realist” got the subjects of his paintings from around his home surroundings in Kittilä’s nature: fells, forest ponds, streams, swamps, and riverside meadows. Einari Junttila supported a family of 9 with his brush.

Einari Junttila Art Museumis open on Thursdays from 13.00-17.00 and on other days by
appointment, ph: 040 703 4657. Ticket price (cash only): €5. Einari Junttila's
(1901–1975) 115th-anniversary exhibition will be at the artist's home museum. A
book on Einari Junttila’s art history (part of the Ars Nordica series) is
available from the museum. Address: Sammontie 5 (behind the Nordea bank).

Sirpa Alalääkkölä’s permanent exhibition is in the Hotel Hullu Poro lobby

Sirpa Alalääkkölä, a painter, created animated characters on the walls of Hullu Poro's buildings and rooms, depicting the various activities that people in Levi do.  Sirpa Alalääkkölä’s style is grand and colourful. Sirpa is one of the most contemporary artists in Lapland. The Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art already holds six of her works in its collections.

Local crafts at the Christmas market

There is a traditional Christmas market in front of Zero Point, Levi. You will find wonderful local products there, whether you need to find a gift for someone or buy something for yourself. The Christmas market is open daily from 10:00-18:00 until the 9th of January.