Location

The sculpture park Matti’s Cosmos is located in the city center of Raahe, between the main library and the central playground near the Town Hall. The sculpture park features 34 imaginative sculptures, which were moved to their current location from Mansikkakari in Pattijoki.

Matti’s Cosmos presents a selection of works by an artist who had a local impact in Raahe. The world created by Matti Lepistö speaks to the viewer regardless of age and cultural background, as the subjects of the sculptures are fundamentally universal and easy to understand. In their new location, the sculptures are easily accessible to a wider audience.

History

Matti Lepistö (1948–2020) was an outsider artist from Pattijoki, known for his concrete sculptures that are imaginatively rich in their topics. Lepistö displayed his sculptures at his home yard in Mansikkakari, Pattijoki, where he had over 250 large concrete sculptures on the lawn field. Most of the sculptures are still presented in the original park.

Lepistö was a textbook example of an outsider artist – a doer, who creates art within their own living environment and whose art reflects their own culture and experiences. Outsider art is also characterized by being self-taught and that the techniques are unique to their makers. This was also the case with Lepistö; by profession, Lepistö was a machinist.

Lepistö’s passion for sculpting ignited during an adult education course in the 1980s, and this led to a lifelong career creating individual art. Lepistö left his work as a machinist in the 1990s and, in his own words, became a full-time "starving artist." He developed his own sculpting technique for his sculptures. He made an iron skeleton inside the sculptures, on top of which he placed polystyrene foam and chicken wire as filling. He mixed the concrete with a gut feeling so that it was easy to shape.

He earned his living by selling and exhibiting his sculptures and by drawing and painting portraits. In addition to sculpting, Lepistö also drew, painted, did glasswork, and wrote. He was also an enthusiastic photographer.

The opening of the sculpture park was celebrated on June 25th 2026 during Pekanpäivät and they were part of the official Oulu2026 program.