Trip to Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art
Before I begin, I would just like to say that I'm not really an artsy person. I studied a class on art history in college, but my knowledge of art isn't that huge. There's art I like and art I don't.
The first time I went to Kiasma, my opinion of the exhibits fell into the latter category. I wasn't a fan and was pretty skeptical of the points the artists were trying to make.
But the great thing about Kiasma, is that their main exhibits change and what you saw on on one trip, might not be there on the next.
But as a broke college student, I didn't want to have to pay the admission cost if I didn't end up liking the exhibits. So I took a trip during their "Opiskelijapäivä". This is an event the museum has a couple times a year where students with a valid ID have free admission into the museum, and they usually have events or workshops you can also attend.
(They also have free admission on the first Friday of every month so if you catch yourself in Helsinki then, be sure to check out the museum).
So, I set out to see if this trip to Kiasma would be more successful than the last.
The museum was open from 10am-8pm and I went around 4:30. I expected it to be extremely crowded, but it wasn't so bad and there was no wait for admittance or coat check.
I started in the Choi Jeong Hwa exhibit called Happy Happy. This was a gorgeous and vibrant exhibit with various colorful stimuli in each piece. I really liked how each piece took up a majority of the room. It wasn't mentally taxing and the colors created a fun atmosphere. I also liked how some of it was interactive. You could walk through the art and experience it from within the piece itself.
I also went to the Ernesto Neto exhibit titled Boa. This exhibit made me feel like I was a character in Willy Wonka, but instead of candy, it was super colorful yarn. The "tent" in the middle was huge and, inside, contained comfortable places to sit. There was even a guitar and drums so you could really make it your own space. It reminded me of the type of place a hippy would hang out in the 60s-70s. I read that the point of this atmosphere was to offer a sanctuary, away from the bustling world we live in. I have to admit that it did feel more relaxing in this piece and it was quite easy to lose track of time.
(Once you make it back to the ground floor, you can find a cafe and gift shop to grab a quick snack or purchase a reminder of some of the "unforgettable" art you may experience there.)
Overall, I was really impressed with the exhibit. There was so much to do/see and I had a great time in each room. I didn't get the chance to see everything, or read all of the information, because I had a limited amount of time, but I did enjoy quickly going through each floor and seeing what was there.
If you make it to the city during one of the times that Kiasma opens their door free of charge, then be sure to check out what it has to offer. If not, you can always check out the museum website here to see if their current exhibits interest you.