Järvensivu Graffiti Tunnel Closed After Complaints of Drug Use and Covered Lighting

The tunnel opened in June but was closed a few months later after residents complained that drug users were gathering there and that paintings had covered the lighting. Signs marking the sanctioned painting spot were removed around late September and early October. No new work is currently allowed, although existing murals will remain on the walls, Aamulehti reported.

Piritta Suominen, who organises the street art projects and handles feedback for Next Level Street Art, said the site had seemed ideal because of its large wall surfaces and wide walkways, but painting activity brought unwanted behaviour and left waste suggesting drug use. "We of course do not want to increase residents' sense of insecurity," she said. The organisation plans to clean the painted-over lights and will reassess whether to reopen the location next summer. The closure has disappointed some artists, but Suominen expects they will understand the decision.

The decision comes amid wider city efforts on public murals and arts spaces in Tampere, including plans to paint substations and distribution cabinets earlier announced by the city and the recent allocation of rent-free arts spaces to cultural operators to support local projects.