Turku, my tribute — is my way of saying thank you to this beautiful city — my city, where I’ve been living since 2007.
The idea for this exhibition came to me last winter, after a season of depression. As I was looking through the photos I had taken, I felt a desire for others to see the city the way I see it.
I must admit: when I first moved here, I didn’t truly appreciate Turku.
But little by little, this place found its way into my heart.
Now, I truly love this city and its people.
I’ve tried to capture the atmosphere of Turku in specific seasons — in the silence, in the everyday, and in those fleeting moments we often overlook.
My name is Jorge Vega.
I come from Uruguay, in South America, and I’ve been living here since 2007 with my wife and our three children.
I want to spend the rest of my life here.
Every time I return to Turku… it feels like coming home.
So Turku — this is my way of saying thank you.
This is my tribute.
I hope you enjoy it.
TRIO
Three buildings, bound together.
Once, each of them overflowed with books — vessels of Finnish culture, rich with music, literature, and art.
Now, though nestled in the quiet rhythm of daily life, they still stand side by side, whispering stories… and looking quietly, beautifully whole.
A thousand lights
On dark autumn evenings by the Aura River, I imagine what would happen if all the lights suddenly went out for just a few seconds.
There would be complete darkness — nothing visible, no outlines, no forms.
And then I would realize… that before my eyes, all along, there had been thousands of lights.
In the gaze of a champion
A small sparrow, resting in the hand of an iconic winner.
Surely, the bird is just as moved by him as he once was by the city’s history.
In the middle of a daily routine, a sudden flash of color darts past the echoes of his brilliant past.
TIME
There’s something enchanting about the Handicrafts Museum.
Every time I walk through its historical alleys, I feel there’s something unspoken behind it all.
It’s like a silent echo of time… slowly descending.
That’s how I see it.
THE BEGINNING
There’s one grey day in the year — often rainy, often lost in the middle of ordinary life.
I’ve had the joy of witnessing it more than once.
On that very day, in the heart of the city… spring awakens.
Turku dresses in color once more, and it becomes the sign —
the quiet, awaited beginning of spring.
Whose lunch is it, anyway?
A giant carved in stone dominates the painting from edge to edge — self-important, immovable.
Yet it cannot compete with the quiet story of an ordinary day.
While tourists stop to snap photos in front of the statue, locals enjoy their lunch at nearby restaurants.
It’s their story — repeated day after day — that truly shapes the soul of the city.
WINTER STAIN GLASS
This is how I see color in the pearly greys of the Aura River in winter —
a silence that carries within it a thousand shades.
My oil painting is an attempt to capture that moment’s peace… and its quiet hope.
OUR MAJESTY
Turku Castle on the threshold of spring.
Tulips bloom on the fresh green lawn as warm sunlight touches the highest tower.
The long shadows of the surrounding trees still rest gently on the ground before the castle.
For a moment, it felt as if the garden’s shadows were bowing in reverence to the living history within,
as the doors quietly closed for the night.
STILL…
A symbolic vision.
An old woman soaks in the history of the market stalls.
She pauses during her daily walk and turns back to sit on the bench.
She turns her back to the future and lingers in memory — for behind her, there is still much life.
Her red hat seems to whisper: “You are here, too.”
The dog is a little restless to move on, but it respects this brief moment, filled with memories.
It knows well that, every day at the market, the woman gives the same answer:
“Still… just a moment.”
jorgearte 
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