Finland Guide
Helsinki and the south
Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art
Opening time: Tues 10am–5pm, Wed– Sun 10am–8.30pm
Price: €7, evenings free first Wed of every month
Website: www.kiasma.fi
Address: Mannerheiminaukio 2
The Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art is a slightly forbidding, steel-clad and tube-like structure that looks from the side like a mix of the Sydney Opera House and the Guggenheim in Bilbao – a vaguely pretentious building for the usually functionalist Finns. Inside the catacomb-like interior are sweeping curves and well-lit hallways; on the ground floor natural light pours in from a variety of angles onto a brilliant-white interior that looks like it gets a new coat of paint on a weekly basis. Entry to this floor is free, and there's a decent café, internet access, one of the best art bookshops in Finland and an interactive children's playroom.
The Kiasma draws its exhibition material from an archive of thousands of pieces of contemporary art, as well as works by visiting artists. Nothing is permanently on display, although as you explore you begin to feel that it's the building itself – with its play on space, light and technology – that is the principal exhibit. Some rooms are blacked out completely; others have high overhanging arches through which the light spills into the display area, giving the place an almost religious feel. Various touchscreen terminals built into the walls at strategic points tell you all you need to know about the works on display. Exhibitions change every two to three months – check the museum's website for details, and keep an eye out, too for performances, lectures and film screenings staged at the museum's small theatre.