Pikkuapollo in Kankaanpää

Material: steel.

The Little Apollo sculpture takes a stand for the protection of natural diversity. The design language of the work has been inspired by endangered nature.

The name refers to the butterfly that occurs in the area. The dark painted lower part of the work is the roots of the Suolapunka plant, and the detail of the stainless steel part of the work is the endangered Tikankontti plant. The title of the work also refers to ancient mythology; to Apollo, the god of light and sun.

The city of Kankaanpää was awarded the Art Promotion Center's Taiken Prosentti construction costs for art funding for the realization of the work. At the beginning of 2019, an invitational art competition was organized, which was won by Kirsi Kaulanen's work proposal. Little Apollo was completed in 2020, but had to wait in storage until the expansion of the ball hall was completed in 2022. 

Sculptor Kaulanen has studied e.g. Kankaanpää Art School, Ëstonian University of Arts and Art and Technology College. The artist's works are in several public art collections. Kirsi Kaulanen, who works in Porvoo, has won many art competitions and her sculptures have been realized all over Finland, from Helsinki to Tornio. In 2021, the artist was selected as the creator of the monument to President Mauno Koivisto with the proposal Välittäjä.