Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art can hardly be called just a museum in the literal sense of the word. Rather, it is a kind of multifaceted creative platform that combines various directions of contemporary art, from spatial installations to conventional art exhibitions. The concept of the museum is not a simple demonstration of avant-garde art, but a full-fledged cultural center, capable of uniting young artists and art lovers.
Kiasma museum expositions
There are 25 galleries with different profiles. In some of them you can see visual art, in others – video installations and photographs, in still others – avant-garde music and unusual architectural approaches to the space. The museum has both permanent and temporary exhibitions. The center’s excursion program is extremely varied and original: every week something is changed here.
At the entrance to the museum each visitor is provided with a personal electronic guide – a special multilingual audio device that tells everything.
There are 25 galleries of different kinds in Kiasma.
The huge building of the Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art was designed by an American architect. Externally it resembles the construction of the famous Finlandia Hall, but the concept of construction is much more intricate. It is believed that the design of the building is based on the regularities of the human body proportions, and that is why the spatial solutions of the internal premises are so unusual and original. The floors of the building are connected by curved staircases and wide ramps, and the halls themselves are framed with soft lines creating a feeling of comfort and freedom.
Inside the museum, there is a café, restaurant, library and small store. Outside, a small car and bicycle parking lot adjoins the building (by the way, there are usually many more bicycles than cars). The museum is also accessible to people with disabilities: the entrance, elevators and toilets are specially equipped for this. Note that persons with disabilities and their accompanying persons can visit the museum for free at any time.
Practical information
Kiasma Center for Contemporary Art is located in central Helsinki on Mannerheiminaukio, next to the monument to Marshal Mannerheim. The nearest public transport stop to the museum – Elielinaukio – serves almost all city bus routes. From the bus stop leads to the museum on Postikuja Street.