Veijo Rönkkönen was a reclusive artist whose work was only discovered after his death, when a forest filled with Secret Sculptures was found at his home. The Veijo Rönkkönen Sculpture Garden, located in the woods surrounding his home, now receives about 25 thousand visitors every year. The garden features nearly five hundred figures, including statues of children and older adults in traditional dress. Some of the figures have real human teeth and speakers inside them that make unintelligible sounds. One of the largest parts of the garden features over two hundred male statues doing various yoga poses, which some believe are self-portraits of Rönkkönen himself. The sculptures have a somewhat eerie quality with their blank, sunken eyes and creepy smiles.
Veijo Rönkkönen was a reclusive individual who rarely showcased his work while he was alive, but the site was reopened to the public following his death with an exhibit honoring the artist. The sculptures are considered to be other-worldly and are a mysterious and captivating discovery for visitors.
