14.2.2025–18.1.2026
2nd floor, 3rd floor
Tickets: with a museum ticket

Kiasma’s new collection exhibition reveals the evocative spectrum of materials used in contemporary artworks.

The exhibition has been compiled from the Finnish National Gallery collections, with items dating from the 1970s to the present. In these selected works, the material is a key part of the content: layers of paint fold like fabric, optical fibre forms a lacey blanket, and clothes resembling national costumes are made out of plastic bags.

The selected artworks highlight the way that contemporary art changes with society. Artists’ use of materials reflects changes in the culture and developments ranging from greater environmental awareness to digitalisation and the growing popularity of handicrafts. Classic works of contemporary art, such as Jacob Dahlgren’s The Wonderful World of Abstraction (2009) and Maria Duncker’s National Costumes IV (1998), form the cornerstones of the exhibition.