The housing cooperative of a block of flats that faces a large painted mural of last year's Eurovision hero Käärijä was unable to convince a court to order the removal of the artwork.
Some of the building's residents think the mural was excessively provocative and risks reducing the value of their homes.
After Käärijä became a national hero when he placed second at Eurovision 2023, his hometown of Vantaa honoured the rapper with the mural. The large, colourful work was unveiled last October on the wall of a shopping centre.
Käärijä, whose real name is Jere Pöyhönen, grew up in Vantaa.
The housing cooperative that owns a block of flats facing the Tikkurila shopping centre wall tried blocking a permit application for the mural that was filed with the city's urban environment department.
After that attempt failed, the cooperative took their case to Helsinki Administrative Court.
Members of the housing cooperative said they considered the mural to be provocative and that it doesn't fit in with the rest of the area. They noted that the piece was not a timeless piece of art but the result of a brief period of Eurovision enthusiasm.
The housing cooperative also thinks the City did not adequately consider the potential harms that such a mural could have on neighbours, adding that they were not consulted about the painting until work on it had already started.
The cooperative also suggested that the city had dozens of other buildings that could have been used for the mural.
Mural legal, court says
However, the Administrative Court rejected the cooperative's complaint, ruling that the mural does not violate the Land Use and Building Act's rules regarding favourable living environments.
The court backed up the decision by noting that the City of Vantaa had selected a number of submissions from artists about how the mural would look, then two were selected by a public vote. Käärijä selected the winner.
The court did not issue a statement on whether there might have been a more suitable location for the mural.
The Käärijä mural's lifespan will range from 10-15 years, according to City estimates, and it will be removed if its condition deteriorates.
The housing cooperative has demanded that the mural be removed by the end of summer in 2032 at the latest — but preferably before 2029.
The cooperative is still able to file a request to appeal the decision at the Supreme Administrative Court.
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