Kirpilä Art Collection is open as usual throughout the summer. Welcome to explore the collection and enjoy a unique art environment in the heart of the city.

Free guided tours are held in Finnish on Wednesdays at 2:30 pm and Sundays at 12:30 pm. Booked group tours can also be arranged by appointment.

Towards the anniversary year – Kirpilä is being renewed

Kirpilä Art Collection will celebrate its 35th anniversary next year. To mark the occasion, we are preparing a diverse programme, including the first-ever Kirpilä Spring Salon.

Ahead of the anniversary year, we will renovate the premises to further enhance the visitor experience. The renovation will begin in mid-August, during which the museum will be closed for several months. The last day open to the public before the renovation is Wednesday, 12 August.

We will reopen with renewed spaces as we head into the anniversary year. More detailed information about the schedule will be shared on our website and social media channels.

Photo: Heikki Tuuli

At the Kirpilä Art Collection, a new work by textile artist Kholod Hawash (b. 1977) is on view. Shy Sun also serves as a protective cover for Maria Wiik’s work Thistles (1898).

Wiik’s pastel and gouache piece was the first artwork Juhani Kirpilä acquired with his own funds at the age of 23. It is displayed in the museum’s Grand Salon, but as a work on paper and sensitive to light, it requires special protection. For this purpose, a dedicated protective cover has been created. When the museum is closed, the cover safeguards the original work; during opening hours, Shy Sun is presented as an independent artwork.

Born in Iraq and now working in Finland, Hawash moved to Finland in 2019 through the Artists at Risk network. Her practice draws in part on textile traditions she learned in childhood. Initially inspired by Mesopotamian cultural heritage, her artistic expression has since developed in a more personal direction—more symbolic than autobiographical.

Hawash works with recycled materials and employs the traditional jodaleia patchwork technique, in which pieces of fabric are sewn together by hand. Her works address themes such as women’s social position and questions of independence.

Hawash’s work has been exhibited, among other venues, in the ARS22 exhibition at Kiasma in 2022 and at the Venice Biennale in 2024 as part of the Nordic Pavilion. Her works are included in the collections of Kiasma, the Saastamoinen Foundation, and HAM, among others.

Welcome to discover the work.

Kholod Hawash, Shy Sun, 2026
Photo: Jussi Tiainen

We are proud to take part in Helsinki Pride 2026 as a community partner.

This year’s theme, Growing with Pride, highlights that every child and young person has the right to grow up in peace and become their authentic self. At Kirpilä Art Collection, we support this by providing an open, safe, and inclusive space for all.

During Pride Week, we present two queer-themed guided tours that explore the collection through an LGBTQIA+ lens. The tours are led by Antti Solin. In addition, riot pop artist Elsi Sloan will perform at Kirpilä.

Programme:

Wed 24 June, 5–6 pm
Elsi Sloan: Lesbioosi (in Finnish)
Free admission. Advance registration opens on the event page on 10 June at 10 am.

Thu 25 June, 5–6 pm
Queer tour (in Finnish)
Free admission, no registration required.

Sun 28 June, 2:30–3:30 pm
Queer tour (in English)
Free admission, no registration required.

Helsinki Pride Week takes place from 22 to 28 June.

Explore the official Helsinki Pride 2026 programme here.

The Kirpilä Art Collection is launching a call for a curator or curatorial collective to plan and implement a spring salon of contemporary art, to open in May 2027.

The Spring Salon will be a contemporary art exhibition and/or performance project implemented at the Kirpilä Art Collection, engaging in dialogue with the museum’s permanent collection, salon-style hanging, and the cultural-historical context of the space.

Contentual theme: On the Romantic

The theme of Spring Salon 2027 examines the romantic in contemporary art, focusing on emotion, imagination and subjective experience, and on the meanings that romance and the romantic take on in the current age. The romantic may be expressed, for example, through nostalgic or historically inflected references, affective gestures, escapism, or through positions that oppose ways of thinking centred on rationalism and efficiency. The theme can be approached through queer and gender perspectives, or in relation to the myth of the artist, experiential modes of address, and personal relationships with the world, to name just a few examples.

Who may apply?

Individual curators or curator collectives / working groups may apply.
Applicants who live further away are asked to take into account their own travel practices and associated budget impacts in terms of the planning and hanging of the exhibition.

What are we looking for?

We hope that applicants will take into account the art scene across the entirety of Finland in their choices of artists. We value norm-critical perspectives and experimental curation that takes its context into consideration. We would like for exhibition proposals to engage in dialogue with the Kirpilä Art Collection’s intimate spatiality, salon-style hanging, and the permanent collection.

What are we not looking for?

We are not looking for pre-produced exhibition or performance entities or proposals based purely on the presentation of existing works. We want applications to be expressly designed for the space and context of the Kirpilä Art Collection.

Space and hanging

The Kirpilä Art Collection is located on the top floor of a 1934 apartment building. The space, which spans approximately 350 m², was originally the home of Doctor and Art Collector Juhani Kirpilä and Antiques Dealer Karl Rosenqvist. The former residential apartment now serves as a museum, in a space that is intimate, historically layered, and acoustically pleasing. The permanent collection limits how much the space can be modified. The rooms cannot be emptied entirely and requests to move the pieces in the art collection will be considered on a case-by-case basis. The home-like decor, routes, and original materials influence the hanging solutions available.

Accessibility:

Unfortunately the museum is not an accessible space. Please take into account obstacles to accessibility in the choice of pieces and exhibition design. More information about accessibility can be found here.

Technical solutions available

• video display and two projection screens;
• PA system, mixer and monitor system (microphones and cables included);
• spotlights that can be attached to rails;
• basic tools for minor hanging and finishing work.

A floorplan of the exhibition space can be downloaded as a separate PDF here.

Role and responsibilities of the curator

The curator will be responsible for the artistic design of the exhibition as a whole, the selection of artists, and the exhibition’s overall content in collaboration with the staff of the Kirpilä Art Collection.

The Kirpilä Art Collection will support the curator in communications, marketing, technical realisation, hanging of pieces, and dismantling of the overall exhibition, as well as in contractual practices in so far as its own practices permit.

The work of the curator will entail close dialogue with the organisation and management of the exhibition process as a whole, from idea to realisation.

Budget and fee

The chosen curator will be provided with a production budget of EUR 20,000, which is to include the curator’s fee.

The budget must cover, for example:

• artist fees and any artwork-specific production costs;
• transportation of artworks;
• any additional technical arrangements or specialist solutions.

The Kirpilä Art Collection shall be responsible, in so far as its own practices permit, for the basic production costs of the exhibition (hanging of works, dismantling, communications and marketing), and therefore these costs do not need to be included in the budget.

The cost structure presented in the application should be approximate and clear enough to allow for the feasibility of the project to be assessed.

Content of applications

Each application should be submitted by email to taidekoti@skr.fi as one PDF file (max. 6 MB, no more than five pages). The email subject line should follow the format: ‘Kirpilä Spring Salon 2027 – Application / First name Last name ’. The application should include the following:

• presentation and CV of the curator / collective of curators;
• an exhibition plan (max. one side of A4, font 11 pt, may include images) that sets out the artistic vision, relationship to the Kirpilä Art Collection and its collection, and link to the theme of the call;
• preliminary list of artists or creator profiles;
• description of working practices, preliminary schedule, and cost structure;
• link to examples of previous work (portfolio, photos, video/audio samples), if available;
• contact details.

Selection criteria

Applications will be assessed based on the following criteria:

• curatorial and artistic quality;
• originality and how the application ties in with the theme of the call;
• feasibility in terms of the space and budget;
• relevancy of the selection of artists and cohesiveness of the overall whole;
• ability to take into account the audience relationship and context.

Schedule

Call open: 13 April – 8 June 2026 at 23:59 (Finnish time)

All applicants will be informed of the progress of the application process by 23 June 2026. The final selection of the successful curator or curator collective will be made by 31 August 2026.

The exhibition project will be started with the selected curator in autumn 2026 and a more precise production schedule will be agreed with the Kirpilä Art Collection.

Lisätiedot

More information

Please send any questions concerning the application process or exhibition space to taidekoti@skr.fi. Responses will primarily be given by email. Applicants can visit the Kirpilä Art Collection to familiarise themselves with the space free of charge during the museum’s opening hours: Wednesdays 14:00–18:00 and Sundays 12:00–16:00.

Photo: Jussi Tiainen

The Finnish Cultural Foundation awarded 784 grants, totalling €29 million, to support science, research and the arts. The largest individual grant of the October round, €800,000, was awarded for the opening exhibition of the National Museum of Finland.

From the Juhani Kirpilä Fund, the Kirpilä Art Collection Research Grant was awarded to Tiina Salmia, M.A. The grant supports her postdoctoral research on interactions between humans and non-human animals in the works of the Kirpilä Art Collection.

Other recipients of a grant from the Juhani Kirpilä Fund: Mirza Cizmic, Anna Estarriola, Joel Hilska-Heikkinen, Kaisa Huotari, Kuvataideopettajat kuvis ry, Pauliina Mäkelä, Frans Nybacka, Karoliina Paatos, Raimo Saarinen ja Kristiina Uusitalo.

Discover more: skr.fi

Anitra Lucander: Still Life with Flowers
Photo: Rauno Träskelin

The finalists of The Most Beautiful Books 2025 have been announced – Seppo Fränti: Third Life has been selected into a wonderful lineup in the Non-fiction and Textbooks category.

The publication, which focuses on art collecting, was produced in late 2025 to accompany the Third Life exhibition presented at Kirpilä Art Collection.

Explore all finalists here.
The book is available for purchase at the museum for €10.

Credits:

Graphic design: Tytti Halonen, Tino Nyman

Texts: Pia Hyttinen, Sanna Lipponen, Johanna Ruohonen

Translations: Elävä Kieli


Production: Mia Dillemuth

Photographs: Helen Korpak

Images of Artworks: Jussi Tiainen; Petri Virtanen & Kirsi Halkola (Finnish National Gallery)

Print: Tallinna Raamatutrükikoda

The spring season at Kirpilä consists of performance art, concerts of classical and contemporary music, themed guided tours, and drawing evenings.

The programme introduces key artists represented in the collection, as well as the museum’s interior and porcelain collections. In addition, guided queer tours highlighting perspectives on diversity will be organised throughout the spring, along with new guided tours in plain Finnish and plain Swedish.

Detailed event information will be published early in the year – follow our channels and stay tuned!

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Concerts

The Mystic Revelation of Teppo Repo
Thu 5 Feb, 5–6 pm
Ringa Manner
Thu 5 Mar, 5–6 pm
Aili Järvelä & Sigurður Rögnvaldsson
Thu 26 Mar, 5–6 pm
Anna-Sofia Anttonen
Thu 7 May, 5–6 pm
Singers of the Mirjam Helin Academy
Thu 21 May, 5–6 pm
Sibelius Academy Lied Concert
Thu 11 Jun, 5–6 pm

Free admission. Advance registration opens two weeks before the event on the event page.

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Performances

FORMICA FUSCA – Puhetta ja laulu muurahaisista
A new multidisciplinary work lodging at the Kirpilä Art Collection invites audiences into the world of ants.

Concept, choreography, direction and performance: Sanna Kekäläinen
Text: Kari Hukkila
Vocals: Janne Marja-aho

Thu 9 Apr, 6–7 pm
Sat 11 Apr, 4–5 pm
Thu 16 Apr, 6–7 pm
Sat 18 Apr, 4–5 pm
Thu 23 Apr, 6–7 pm
Sat 25 Apr, 4–5 pm

Language: English / Finnish
Price: €10
Ticket link available from 19 Feb on the event page.

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Themed Guided Tours

Eija Olsson: Pekka Halonen – The Snow King
Wed 21 Jan, 5–6 pm
Eija Olsson: Oriental Rugs and Antique Furniture of the Kirpilä Art Collection
Wed 11 Feb, 5–6 pm
Reima Lehtonen: Kirpilä Art Collection’s Porcelain Collection
Wed 25 Mar, 5–6 pm
Elina Vieru: Hej Åke! Glimpses into the Art and Life of Åke Mattas
Wed 8 Apr, 5–6 pm
Riitta Ojamaa: Bold Role Models – The Women Artists of Kirpilä
Wed 13 May, 5–6 pm

Language: Finnish
Free admission, no advance registration.

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Drawing Evenings

Drawing Evenings offer a hands-on way to explore the museum’s collections through changing themes. Each session includes a short (approx. 15 min) introduction to the Kirpilä Art Collection. Instructor: Riitta Ojamaa, Kirpilä guide and art educator.

Wed 1 Apr, 5–7 pm
Wed 15 Apr, 5–7 pm
Wed 29 Apr, 5–7 pm

Language: Finnish
Price: €8
Advance registration opens two weeks before the event on the event page.

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Guided Queer Tours

Sun 19 Apr, 2:30–3:30 pm (Finnish)
Sun 24 May, 2:30–3:30 pm (Finnish)
Thu 25 Jun, 5–6 pm (Finnish)
Sun 28 Jun, 2:30–3:30 pm (English)
Guide: Antti Solin

Free admission, no advance registration.

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Public Guided Tours

Guided tour in Swedish
Sun 25 Jan, 2:30–3:30 pm
Guided tour in plain Finnish
Wed 25 Feb, 5–6 pm
Guided tour in plain Swedish
Wed 11 Mar, 5–6 pm
Guided tour in plain Finnish
Wed 22 Apr, 5–6 pm
Guided tour in plain Swedish
Wed 6 May, 5–6 pm
Guided tour in English
Sun 31 May, 2:30–3:30 pm
Guided tour in plain Finnish
Wed 10 Jun, 5–6 pm

Free guided tours in Finnish are offered on Wednesdays from 2:30 to 3:30 pm and on Sundays from 12:30 to 1:30 pm.

Free admission, no advance registration.

Elga Sesemann, Self-Portrait, 1944
Photo: Rauno Träskelin

The Kirpilä Art Collection website is now more visually engaging and accessible. Warmly welcome to explore our spring and summer events, such as the Kuvan Kevät performance day, the FloweRescue flower bouquet workshop, and our guided tours with seasonal themes. You’ll also find the latest updates, including an introduction to our upcoming museum director, MA Heta Kaisto.

We’ve also added brand new content! Kirpilä Studio is a curated online gallery featuring a rotating selection of artists. The first contributor is photographer Sandra Kantanen, who has created a photo triptych inspired by the art collection and the museum surroundings.

The Behind the Scenes series offers a glimpse into the everyday life of the museum – for example, the work of an art conservator.

The website was developed by Redandblue, and the visual identity was designed by N2 Albiino.

We hope you enjoy our new website and easily find all the information you need for your visit.
We’d love to hear your feedback – feel free to send us a message at taidekoti(at)skr.fi.

Sandra Kantanen, Ikkuna 2: Kastanjankukat, 2025
Kirpilä Studio