The monologue play VEIJO gives a voice to Veijo Rönkkönen, born in 1944, a self-taught artist and gardener who created the Parikkala Sculpture Park as his life’s work. Over the years, he created over five hundred concrete sculptures and a magnificent garden. Rönkkönen lived a life true to himself and left behind Finland’s and the Nordic countries’ most significant self-taught art collection, the Parikkala Sculpture Park.

The play, written and directed by Heidi Parkkinen and performed by actor Aapo Stavén, is a unique interpretation of the joys and sorrows of Rönkkönen’s life: Rönkkönen did not speak for himself but let the statues and the park speak for him. In the play, Rönkkönen reflects on himself, his art, the inability to conform to the narrow norms of a small town, and how difficult it is to be a “proper” man. The scars of a lack of love and social isolation nurtured Rönkkönen into a self-taught artist with a unique ability to play with his inner child. In 2007, Rönkkönen was awarded the Finland Prize by the Ministry of Culture.

The monologue play VEIJO has achieved great popularity on a national level. Heidi Parkkinen was awarded the South Karelia Cultural Achievement Award of 2024 for writing and directing the monologue. The VEIJO monologue also won the National Monologue Competition in 2025.

The play is performed in Finnish.

Script and Direction: Heidi Parkkinen

In the role of Veijo: Aapo Stavén

Set design and visualization: Heidi Parkkinen

Photo: Minna Mänttäri